Healing
by AcidicSubstance
Summary: When you're beaten and broken, you look to those closest to you to help you heal. Makorra. Post "Out of the Past" and continuing to the final confrontation with Amon following an entirely different story than the canonverse. Rated T for fighting, minor cussing and some implied innocent intimacy.
1. Chapter 1

The flight back to Air Temple Island went by in a blur, her vision fading in and out the entire trip. It hadn't been until she was safe in Oogi's oversized saddle that she'd allowed herself time to breathe or relax, and the moment she did it all came crashing down on her. She'd never been so bone-tired in her life. Everything ached. Everything hurt. And there were faces. So many faces. She caught glimpses of Tenzin and Lin arguing. Bolin's anxious face in the back of Oogie's saddle. Asami huddled to the side, her face stoic and unreadable. For a moment she was sure she saw Aang, heard his voice gently tell her to breathe. Naga howled from somewhere below, following them. It was all too broken and disjointed. And Mako, always Mako. Somehow he was everywhere. He'd said she was safe now, and despite everything, she felt it. He was saying something now but her vision was slipping again and the darkness creeping into the edges of her eyes was so comforting. Mako's face blurred then, his eyes wide with fear. Why was he afraid? The dark was nice. It was warm. And she'd been so cold in the snow. She'd been fighting so long…all she wanted to do now was sleep. And then the dark took her and she knew no more.

LoK_Lok_Lok

The sky bison landed just outside the temple dorms with a rumbling thud and was immediately swarmed with people. White Lotus guards surrounded them on all sides as the group climbed down off Oogi's back and it was all Pema could do to keep her worried children from storming the group. Tenzin flipped off of his animal guide's head in a whirl of wind, his air nomad robes flowing about as he rushed to see to Korra. But Mako, who had stayed practically glued to the Avatar's side, was already carefully carrying her into the temple, the White Lotus guards moving with him step for step. No one was getting near the Avatar and Spirits help anyone who tried. Tenzin watched the boy go and felt his heart sink at the sight of Korra, so broken and beaten down. His children broke free from their mother and sped towards him, bombarding him with questions he didn't have the heart to answer just yet. Pema joined him then and gently rested a hand on his arm.

"Is she ok?" She asked gently. He felt his throat tighten but managed a nod in affirmation. Korra was strong, she _would_ be ok. He couldn't have been prouder of her if she'd been his own daughter. Prouder…or more terrified. Pema hesitated as she watched her husband, knowing he would blame himself for things going so horribly wrong. "Are _you_ ok?" Lin Beifong stepped up beside Pema then and sighed, watching the last of the White Lotus guards march into the Temple behind Mako and Korra.

"Perhaps we should move this inside," she said tiredly. "There's a lot we all need to discuss." Bolin and a quiet Asami joined them just as Pema started to usher her indignant children back to their rooms.

"You three should get some rest, it's late," she said sternly. She had expected protests from Ikki and Meelo but when her normally obedient eldest daughter set her jaw she knew she was beaten.

"We're just as worried about Korra as the rest of you. You can't honestly expect us to be able to sleep with everything that's going on. We promise we won't get in the way, we just want to know Korra is ok." Jinora stared her mother down stubbornly and Pema sighed, turning to Tenzin for help. He eyed his three children wearily for a moment before his shoulders slumped.

"Fine, fine," he sighed, waving his arm dismissively. "But don't interfere with the healers," he added sternly. The children all agreed fervently and were off at a run before the rest of the group could blink. Lin watched the three go in surprise.

"Those kids of yours really love Korra, don't they," she said, a tired smile tugging at her lips. Before Tenzin could reply he was interrupted by Bolin's less than subtle throat clearing.

"We _all_ love Korra, so d'you guys think maybe we could go make sure she's ok? Mako's not exactly a bang up healer and she looked pretty beat up." He motioned wildly with his arms as he spoke, as was typical of the emotive earthbender.

"You're right, of course," Tenzin agreed. "Korra needs to be seen to. We can discuss all of this later." With that the lot of them followed the White Lotus guards into the temple dorms, heading straight to Korra's room.

LoK_Lok_Lok

Mako had Korra secured in his arms before Oogi's feet had even touched the ground. When Lin Beifong had broken them out of prison he'd thought this whole nightmare with Tarrlok was over, but then she'd said Korra had been abducted by Amon and it was as if the ground had disappeared out from under him. The last time he'd been so completely terrified and panicked, he'd been watching his parents get cut down by a firebender thug. There was no way in hell he was letting anything happen to Korra now that he had her back, not after he'd come so close to losing her. By the time Oogi had come to a complete stop he was already carrying her off the saddle and toward the Air Temple. He barely noticed the White Lotus guards file in around him, Korra's own personal honour guard. She'd seemed ok when they'd found her. Beaten, exhausted, but awake and responsive. But then he'd laid her down in Oogi's saddle and he'd watched her practically sink into herself. He'd tried to keep her awake while Tenzin and Lin yelled at each other over where to go but all the energy had drained out of her and it was a constant fight to keep her conscious.

He remembered Lin arguing that Korra needed to go to the hospital while Tenzin insisted they had perfectly capable healers on the island and Korra needed somewhere safe and stable to rest. Mako hadn't really cared what they decided, so long as they got there fast. When Korra's entire body seemed to go limp he'd felt the panic rise in his throat again and he'd desperately told her to stay awake, keep her eyes open, but they had drooped and then shut and she hadn't stirred since. Even now, moving as fast as he could without jostling her and with the White Lotus detail impeding him, he was panicking.

She needed to wake up. If he lost her now after everything he'd done to find her and everything she must have been through to escape… But then he was outside her room and one of the guards was sliding the paneled door aside for him while another ran further down the corridor to fetch the healer.

"You're going to be ok," he heard himself whisper. "You _have_ to be ok, Korra." There was no time to contemplate losing her when he was rushing to get her settled on the bed with just enough time to tenderly brush back her hair before a stern woman came bustling into the room and shoved him aside. He yelled in protest when the guards started pulling him out of the room and struggled to get back to her. He wasn't about to leave her now, not when he'd promised her she was safe. He needed to be there to make sure she was safe! He fought and struggled, but without his firebending (he didn't dare risk using fire in a room made primarily of wood and paper paneling) he couldn't hold off four White Lotus guards all at once and they dragged him bodily out of the room. The second he was set down once more he made a break for the doorway, catching a brief glimpse of Korra's still face before the panels were slammed shut and two of the guards planted themselves firmly in front of it. He could see the glow of the healer's bending shine through the paper of the paneling and he bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. She was hurt. He needed to be in there!

"Get out of my way!" He snarled, glaring at the two guards darkly. They weren't intimidated and he cursed in frustration when they simply stood their ground against his fiery rage. By the time the airbender kids arrived, followed shortly by Tenzin and the rest of the group, Mako was quite literally fuming. His fury was setting off his firebending and steam was starting to hiss out of his knuckles. Bolin ran up to his brother first, the others keeping a safe distance from the enraged bender.

"Mako! Bro calm down! You're gonna set this whole place on fire," he said, grabbing his brother's shoulders and turning him away from the door. "Take a deep breath man, c'mon." Mako glared at his brother for a minute before he exhaled deeply and let his shoulders sag, exhausted and defeated. For now.

"There," Bolin said brightly. "Much better. Relax, bro. Korra's tough, she'll be fine." Tenzin stepped forward then and Mako turned to look up at the old airbending master.

"Is the healer with her now?" He asked seriously. Mako nodded and turned back to the door.

"She had these White Lotus clowns toss me out as soon as she got in there," he said irritably, motioning to the guards with an angry gesture that released a puff of dark smoke from his knuckles again. Tenzin nodded in approval and then turned to look at the rest of the group.

"There isn't much we can do for Korra now. The healers will let us know when she's strong enough to see us. Lin, I believe we have some calls to make. This whole mess should never have happened," he said seriously and Lin folded her arms stoically.

"Agreed," she replied. "We're going to have to work with that fool of a chief. I'll contact him right away." She turned to leave but paused to look back at Mako and Bolin. Mako was only half listening now, his eyes focused on the door so she directed her question to his younger brother. "Let me know how Korra is, won't you?" Bolin glanced back at Mako, who had sunk to the floor with his back to the wall opposite Korra's room and nodded.

"We're not going anywhere. We'll come get you guys as soon as the healer finishes fixing her up." He was grinned confidently, ever the optimist. "Korra will be up and kicking Equalist butt before you can say Pro-Bender!" Lin smirked at the young earthbender and nodded her acceptance before leaving. When she was gone, Tenzin turned to his wife and rested a hand on her arm.

"You should get some sleep, dear. All of this excitement isn't good for the baby." She glared at him then and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not about to let you go and stew in your office, Tenzin. I'll make us some tea and we can get started with all the calls and paperwork." She turned to Jinora and frowned at her oldest daughter. "The second you hear about Korra I want the three of you in bed!" She snapped and, when Ikki made to protest she pointed at her violently, her face stern to the point of being comical. "I mean it young lady!" Ikki quailed under her mother's stair and ducked her head.

"Yes mum," she muttered, cowering behind her older sister and staring shiftily at the floor. It wasn't until Tenzin and Pema had both left that Ikki turned big, worried eyes up to Bolin. "Is Korra gonna be ok? She looked really hurt! Did that funny smelling man named Tarrlok do that? We were all so scared when Daddy called to get the healers ready. Is she gonna make it?" Ikki spoke so fast that is was hard to follow most of her questions but Bolin, being a fellow motor-mouth, had no trouble keeping up. Meelo had fallen asleep on the floor next to Mako but Jinora stepped closer, appearing as concerned as her younger sister so Bolin bypassed most of Ikki's questions, deciding instead to answer the most important one. He gave them both a bright, encouraging smile and slugged an arm over Ikki's shoulder.

"Are you kidding me? Of course she's gonna make it! This is the _Avatar_ we're talking about here. Didn't you hear Chief Beifong? Korra's tough as nails!" He pumped his fist in the air to emphasize his point. "No way is Korra gonna let Tarrlok beat her down!"

"She did though, didn't she." They all looked up at the quiet words to see Asami leaning against the wall a little way down the corridor, her arms folded and her face hard. Her eyes were cast down but she looked up at them almost darkly before she spoke again. "Korra is supposed to be the Avatar, _she's_ supposed to be protecting _us_. But she let Tarrlok defeat her and carry her off to Spirits know where. We ran all over town to look for her and put our necks on the line in some dingy Equalist prison for nothing and _Naga_ was the one that ended up saving her in the end." The silence in the corridor was deafening. No one spoke for a moment, all of them too shocked by the venom in Asami's words to react. But then Mako was on his feet once more, glaring at his girlfriend.

"What is your problem? Korra's hurt! She's been through hell and you're acting like she did all of this on purpose!" He snapped angrily. Asami turned angry eyes on her boyfriend and pushed away from the wall to glare at him.

"_My_ problem? What's_ your_ problem? Have you noticed how you've been acting lately? Ever since Lin told us what was going on you've been completely focused on Korra. It's like you're obsessed! You've been acting like a scared boyfriend! Except it's like she's the one you're dating!" She motioned furiously towards Korra's door as she spoke, her wild hair flying about her shoulders. "Exactly how long have you been in love with her?" Mako took a step towards Asami and his glare deepened.

"Korra risked her neck to help us. She went to Tarrlok to get us of jail. She has done everything she can to be a friend to you, Asami. She took us all in when we had nowhere else to go, despite everything that's happened between all of us. She put aside her own feelings to make sure we were all happy, or had you forgotten all of that?" Asami seemed to balk at that but she frowned, hurt now.

"Have _you_ forgotten why I have nowhere else to go? I lost everything because of her, Mako and now she's taking you too. It isn't fair…" There were tears gathering in her eyes and she folded her arms more tightly around herself, the position becoming almost protective when it had been stubborn before. Mako seemed to deflate at this and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Your dad made his own choices, Asami. It isn't Korra's fault he got involved with the Equalists. You know that. I'm sorry, about all of this, but you know that none of this is her fault." He turned away from her then to look at the door and folded his own arms to mimic her. "If anything, it's my fault. I let this whole situation between us get confused and out of hand. It isn't fair but now isn't the time to be arguing about it. Korra needs us right now." He turned to look at her again, his eyes pleading now. "All of us. I can't leave her now, not when she needs me." Asami shook her head as the tears she'd been holding back finally slipped free. This wasn't how she'd wanted to confront him about her suspicions. Not when they were both so emotional and certainly not in front of his brother, Tenzin's young children and a pack of White Lotus guards. Embarrassed and ashamed of herself, she turned and bit her lip sadly.

"I'm sorry," she muttered thickly. "I…I can't be here right now." And then she was gone, running as fast as she could to the little room Korra had shown her just a few days ago. Mako watched her go and let out a frustrated groan, flopping back onto the floor to face Korra's door once more. He let his face fall into his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. Bolin was staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth open in shock. He looked down at his sullen brother and let out a low whistle.

"Woah…"he muttered. "Girls, man. _Girls_." Mako let out a tired, half-hearted chuckle at that.

"Yeah, no kidding."

LoK_Lok_Lok

She ached. She ached everywhere. In the dark, that was all she could think about. The dark had been comforting before. Warm and welcoming, a reprieve from all the pain and exhaustion. She had gone into it willingly, too tired to do anything else. But now, after who knew how long, all the dark did was make her ache. Everywhere. It was oppressive and suddenly she felt like she was closed in. Trapped. She was back in the box. Panic welled up in her chest but she couldn't fight, couldn't move. She ached and she panicked. But then someone was stroking gentle fingers through her hair and she heard quiet muttering somewhere above her and the sound was somehow soothing. She didn't recognize the voice, it was too faint to make out, but she knew that, whoever it was, they were looking out for her. She was safe. Someone had promised she was, hadn't they? And then the darkness was suddenly comforting again and she let it take her for a while more. She was still so tired. So very tired. And everything ached.

LoK_Lok_Lok

It had been a long night. The healer had come out to tell them all that Korra would be fine not long after his confrontation with Asami and then promptly sent them all to bed. Or at least, she'd tried to send him to bed. His emotions had already been stretched thin by that point and when he threatened to electrocute the lot of them to get through, the healer had grudgingly allowed him into the room, citing she'd rather he sit there quietly than disturb Korra's sleep with a temper tantrum. He hadn't really cared what she thought, only that she let him through. And so it was that he found himself on the floor at the foot of her bed. He had his back pressed to the wall and his head bowed, his exhaustion creeping into his very bones, no matter how hard he fought it off.

He glanced up at her and his throat tightened. She looked so small…so vulnerable. It wasn't her. Korra was strong. She was stubborn and cocky and she never backed down from anything. She was amazing. She was invincible. And yet here she was, broken, defeated. It scared him, knowing how close it had all been. She could have been spirited away somewhere they would never find her. She could have had her bending taken away. She could have_ died_. And that thought, more than anything, terrified him. Thinking of her as anything but completely untouchable was terrifying. He'd almost lost her. Tough, bold, _amazing_ Korra. He could have lost her forever. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd been left alone with her, several hours for sure, but it didn't matter. He had no intention of leaving now. He'd made a complete mess of things and he knew he'd have a lot to answer for when it was all over, but this was more important right now. He would fix things, with her and Asami, but he would fix them later. For now he would wait and watch and keep her safe.

At some point in the night, he heard Tenzin outside the door, asking the guards, who hadn't left either, how Korra was doing. After a brief exchange Tenzin left and it was quiet again. The healer came in a little later, to check on Korra and glance at him briefly, but she left too. He hadn't moved much since he'd sat down and she hadn't so much as twitched. The room was perfectly still. So when she shifted in bed he was beside her in a heartbeat, the tiny movement such a sudden contrast to the stillness that it was impossible to miss. He assumed she was dreaming. Or having a nightmare judging by the frown on her face. His heart ached for her; she'd been through too much too fast. She stirred restlessly and a quiet moan rushed past her lips.

"Easy," he whispered, reaching up to gently brush back her hair. "It's ok, you're safe now." He let his fingers trail across her cheek and into her thick curls. He hadn't seen her with her hair down before and now it was splayed all about her head like a halo of wild, untamable chocolate. Her hair was far softer than he would have expected. It was difficult to associate something so soft with someone so hard. And yet, it seemed right. Because she _was_ soft. Her tan skin. Her dark curls. Her blue eyes. Her infuriating, stubborn heart. All of it. She was the toughest, hardest person he knew, but everything about her was soft.

"You're a confusing mess, you know that?" He said with an affectionate smile, his fingers still working through her curls. He watched her relax and his smile widened when the frown eased from her face and she became still once more. He settled down on the floor again, this time sitting right beside her head, pressing himself between her bed and her little wooden night stand.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but when he blinked, the room seemed a little brighter than it had before. The sun had started to rise. He sat up and stretched, sunlight filtering through the paneled window and groaned quietly when he heard his back snap and crack with the movement.

Had that been what had woken him? His back was stiff but sleeping on the floor like this wasn't exactly new to someone who'd grown up on the streets. No, it had to have been something else. And then he heard it. A quiet sound to his left. He was instantly alert then. The sunlight was coming in at just the right angle to fall across her face and Korra frowned slightly. She turned her head away and let out a tiny murmur of complaint. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He was off the floor before he knew what he was doing and then he was sitting on the edge of her bed. She shifted again, her eyes fluttering a little before she blinked slowly. And then she was looking up at him, confused, exhausted, but gloriously awake.

"M…Mako?" Her voice was hoarse and she sounded weak, but she was speaking and nothing had ever sounded sweeter.

"I'm here," he said quietly, reaching down to touch her face, her neck, her hair. "You should rest." She frowned and swallowed, trying to clear her throat. It didn't help.

"What happened?" She hated how weak she sounded. But he didn't seem to care. He was smiling down at her like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen and it brought a light flush to her cheeks. He wasn't supposed to be looking at her like that. Exhausted and disoriented as she was, she knew that much. And yet somehow she couldn't find it in herself to care right then. "Where is everyone? Are they all ok?" He seemed genuinely shocked that she'd asked and then he laughed. "What's so funny?" She glared at him irritably and shifted backward until she was propped a little more upright on her pillows, wincing with the movement. Spirits, she felt like she'd lost a wrestling match with Naga. He was helping her settle back before she had even gotten all the way up right, grinning at her irritation.

"It's just so typical of you," he said with an amused snort. "You're the one lying here, beaten up with everyone worried about you and you're asking if anyone _else_ is hurt." She bit her lip, trying to fight back the flush creeping further down her neck. Worried. He had been worried. She remembered now. Remembered the relief she'd felt when Oogi had landed there beside Naga in the streets. The relief she'd felt when she'd seen Tenzin and Lin running towards her. The relief she'd felt when he'd pushed his way past two master benders to get to her. And then he'd smiled at her and held her close and told her he'd been worried and that she was safe.

Korra had never been the kind of girl who wanted to be rescued. She'd been taught to fight her whole life. She'd been trained in all forms of bending and martial arts. She'd been taught how to survive. She could take care of herself. And yet, after everything she'd been through, after the fight, the box and coming face-to-face with Amon again, all she had wanted to do was let him carry her off and protect her from everything. She was tired of fighting so hard. She could let him help her. He was watching her closely and she just knew he was going to be annoyingly protective for a while. It made her smile.

"Are you ok?" He asked then and she wasn't sure how exactly to answer him. _Was_ she ok? She ached everywhere and moving hurt but pain she could handle. She'd grown up with aches and pains almost everyday thanks to her rigorous training. She wasn't really sure how she felt emotionally. Meditating while she'd been trapped had helped keep her calm, but it hadn't exactly made her fearless. Hearing Amon telling his chi-blockers to electrocute her in that box, knowing that if they did she would lose everything…that was something she knew she'd be seeing in her dreams for a while to come. But for now, with everything behind her, safe in her own bed, with Mako sitting beside her, she decided she could be ok. He had worried enough, so she _would_ be ok.

"Yeah," she replied eventually. "I'm fine." He smiled brightly at that, letting out a relieved "good" and reached out to lightly brush his fingers across her cheek. The half-healed cut there stung a little but it didn't bother her as much as the tender gesture did.

"Mako, you shouldn't do things like that." She looked up at him forlornly and swallowed the lump building in her throat. "Asami…"

"Asami and I are over, Korra. It's a mess and there's a lot I need to make up for, but it's over. I shouldn't have let things between us go on so long. I've been lying to myself, and her. It wasn't right." He looked away then and sighed, running his fingers through his hair, a frustrated habit he'd picked up recently. "I kind of made a mess of things between all of us, didn't I?" It wasn't a question, not really. She wouldn't have known what to say anyway. Korra had never had trouble speaking her mind before. Hell, she'd outright told him that she thought they were meant to be together. But now, with all this confusion between the three of them, she just didn't know what she could possibly say that would be in any way helpful. She felt awful. Asami cared about Mako; that much was obvious to anyone with eyes. Mako made her happy and, despite her own jealousy and how much it had hurt to see them together, Korra wanted them to be happy together. Who was she to decide Mako was hers? If he was happy with Asami then she would be a good sport about it. And yet somehow she had broken them up, despite trying very hard not to get involved. The guilt was overwhelming and she felt her breath hitch and her eyes sting.

"I'm a terrible person," she mumbled quietly. So quietly Mako almost missed it. Almost.

"What? What are you talking about?" He asked incredulously. She really couldn't understand his confusion. It was plain enough to her.

"It's all my fault. Asami cares about you, Mako. She needs you, especially after everything she's been through. And I ruined that. I…I'm an awful, selfish person." She shut her eyes tightly and turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her cry. "I really am the worst Avatar ever. I'm supposed to help people, not ruin their lives. She must hate me now…"

"Korra." His voice was hard, stern even. She looked up, startled at his tone and found him glaring at her irritably. "You are the most stubborn person I have ever met. Asami isn't the only person involved in this. She isn't the only one who matters. And she definitely isn't the only with a lot to deal with. And it is _not_ your fault. It's mine. I told you a long time ago that I had feelings for you too, but I didn't want to get involved with you then because we were team mates and there was all that drama with Bolin. Everything was so confusing and I thought, maybe if I focused on Asami I wouldn't have feelings for you anymore. I tried to convince myself I didn't. But I was just kidding myself. You're not an awful person. You're _amazing_. And I'm an idiot." He reached out to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. The gesture was so tender it nearly broke her heart. She wrapped her own arms tightly around his waist and pressed her face into his shoulder, tears stinging at her eyes again. "You are not the worst Avatar ever. Don't ever say that. You're brave and kind and you care about people. You don't have to do everything alone. I'm not about to make the same mistake twice here. You're stuck with me, Korra. And that means you're stuck with Bolin too. We're all here for you, remember? The new 'Team Avatar'. We'll help you, no matter what it takes." He pulled away from her and let her sit back against her pillows, giving her a little space to try and subtly wipe away tears he knew she didn't want him to see. "I suppose asking you not to be so reckless all the time would be pointless, wouldn't it?" She chuckled at that and shrugged helplessly.

"Would I be me if I didn't get us all into a mountain of trouble all the time?" He grinned and rolled his eyes.

"Probably not," he admitted. "But, could you at least leave a note or something next time you get kidnapped? I don't think I have it in me to go through that again." He was joking, but she knew he'd meant it too. He'd been truly terrified that she'd been hurt, or worse. He cared about her that much, and knowing that made her feel infinitely better.

"Next time I'll remember to stop and ask my kidnappers to draw you a handy little map," she said, pretending to draw one in the air with a little flourish. They were interrupted by a knock on the door and she assumed it could only be Tenzin. No one else bothered waking up this early. When Mako stood to slide the panel door aside Tenzin stepped into the room and let out a relieved breath at the sight of Korra awake and alert.

"The guards said you were awake. How are you feeling?" He moved past Mako, nodding a greeting at the young firebender before he leaned down to look more closely at Korra. "Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine, Tenzin, really." She paused for a second and frowned. "I suppose we have a lot to talk about." He nodded grimly and sat down on the edge of the bed. She turned to Mako and smiled at him weakly.

"You should go," she said gently. "You have some things you need to go sort out. We can talk later." He didn't miss the significance of that statement. _They_ had a lot to talk about too. But first he needed to fix the mess he'd made. He winced at the thought and folded his arms.

"Guess you're right about that," he groaned, sounding uncomfortable with the very idea. "I'll be back in a while." They shared a look before he turned to leave, pausing at the door. "I'll let Bolin know you're awake. He'll be glad to shove it in my face that I was worried for nothing." He winked and she laughed as he left before turning back to Tenzin. He looked so serious and grim and she sobered immediately. They watched each other for a long moment, neither sure where to start. Tenzin looked so serious…so upset. Korra could feel the words and the guilt bubbling up in her throat and it all spilled out before she could stop herself.

"I'm so sorry! I know I never should have gone to see Tarrlok on my own like that. I'm really, really sorry, Tenzin. I'm reckless and stupid, I know. I just…I had to _do_ something! I couldn't just leave them in there and –" He cut her off with a steady hand on her shoulder and sighed heavily.

"It _was_ foolish of you to confront Tarrlok on your own like that, Korra," he said seriously. "It was dangerous and reckless, but there was no way you could have known what he was. He fooled us all. That loathsome criminal sent us on a wild turtle-duck chase to cover his tracks and we all played right into his hands. You cannot blame yourself for not seeing what people, far older and wiser than you, didn't see either." He eyed her seriously to make his point. "Now, tell me what happened. How did you escape?" Talking about it was easier than she'd thought it would be. She found that if she swallowed her emotions and pressed them far enough down, she could talk about it all without melting down. She explained all about her meditation and the complete visions she'd seen. He didn't seem too shocked to find out about Tarrlok's relation to Yakone, but she realized that he must have figured that out himself when Tarrlok's little secret had gotten out. He tensed up when she explained how Amon had arrived, taken Tarrlok's bending and then told his chi-blockers to electrocute her metal prison to knock her out. That led to her brief encounter with Amon outside the little hut and Naga finding her at the bottom of the hill. By the end of her story he was deep in thought, and she wondered what he was trying to piece together from what little she could tell him.

"Tenzin, you said that Tarrlok sent you guys on a 'wild turtle-duck chase'? What did you mean by that?" She asked curiously. His face reddened and she wondered if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"Tarrlok made it look like Amon had captured you. He planted evidence and fed us a story about being attacked by Equalists. Lin was the one who broke your friends out of jail so they could help us find you." He smiled at that and Korra grinned.

"The chief actually broke into her own prison? Woah." She hadn't given much thought to the fact that Mako and the others weren't behind bars but hearing that Lin had actually broken them out was humbling. She had a lot of people looking out for her.

"Yes," Tenzin agreed. "I was rather shocked to find them all in my office. We all believed Amon had you imprisoned somewhere so we tracked down an Equalist hideout and broke in." Korra's eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows at her airbending master.

"You guys went through all that trouble, just to find me?" She swallowed hard, trying to bite back a sudden swell of emotion, touched that they had risked their own safety to ensure hers.

"Of course we did," Tenzin said as if it should have been obvious. "Korra, you aren't just an apprentice. You're family. We all love you, none us would ever let you get hurt. You can be so infuriating sometimes, and yes, reckless, but I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of you. My father would be too. My mother was right, Korra, you're going to make an amazing Avatar." That did it for her. The flood of emotions she'd been carefully damming since she'd woken to Mako's concerned face burst and suddenly she was sobbing. She threw herself into his arms, in much the same way she had on Aang Memorial Island all those months ago, and she wept.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Tenzin," she cried, clutching his robes as he held her comfortingly. "I'm messing everything up! Everyone else thinks I can do this, but I'm so scared. I'm scared I lose. If Amon wins…" She shook her head desperately and he pushed her up so that he could look her in the eye.

"Listen to me, Korra. You don't have to have all the answers. My father let the people around him help when he was lost. You're allowed to ask for help. I know you feel like you have the world on your shoulders, but you don't have to bear all the responsibility on your own." She swallowed thickly and wiped her eyes. He was smiling at her and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "If I'm not mistaken, your friends are more than willing to help you." She nodded at that.

"Mako said pretty much the same thing," she admitted sheepishly. Tenzin gave her a side-long glance and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"That Mako boy seems particularly interested in your well-being." He eyed her curiously and she felt her cheeks heat up once more.

"You really wanna talk to me about boys, Tenzin?" She smirked at his suddenly uncomfortably expression and allowed herself an uncharacteristic giggle when he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes well…you should get some rest. When you, uhm, feel well enough, we can talk more about what happened." He seemed to be looking everywhere but at her now and she smiled, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Thanks, Tenzin," she said, smiling at him sadly. "For everything." This brought a genuine smile to his face.

"You're very welcome, Korra." When he left and she was alone, she let herself flop back on her pillows and took a deep, shuddering breath. She felt cleansed somehow. Like allowing herself to let out all those emotions had freed her of some burden she hadn't realized she was carrying. Things really were going to be ok. Here in her room, with things so messed up, fresh cuts and bruises still aching and so much still to do, she knew she'd be fine as long as she had her friends and her family. As long as she had them and _him_…she could do anything. She could handle being the Avatar.

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(This was originally going to be a one-shot, but it just kept getting longer and longer and there are still quite a few things that need to be settled before I can comfortably end this. So now my little one-shot story has become a two-shot and, depending on how the next chapter and the next episode play out, it may continue past that as well. You'll have to forgive me if the plot seems a little broken. I haven't written anything of significant length in a long time. Most of my writing projects these days involve short newspaper columns and proof reading the work of journalists. Also, doesn't seem to like asterixes so have some LoK paragraph breaks)


	2. Chapter 2

The walk to Asami's room felt like a trip down death row. How had things gotten so out of control? How had he _let_ things get so out of control? Mako hated failure. Despised it. Despised _himself_ when he failed. He could usually see when he was about to do something wrong or stupid and correct the issue before it became a problem; he prided himself on that. He had always kept his existence so tightly controlled for a reason: if he was in control, he wouldn't fail. Failure led to people getting hurt. He'd been too young to help his parents, he knew that, but their deaths had always felt like his biggest failure in life. Until now.

What he had done to Asami and had been doing to Korra for so long…that was by far his biggest screw up yet. He'd hurt them both. Was still hurting them. He'd picked Asami. Beautiful, vivacious Asami. He'd convinced himself that she was what he wanted. She was feminine, outrageously gorgeous in a very obvious way and she could handle herself when she needed too. He'd let himself be swept up in her beauty and her generosity when she'd helped the Fire Ferrets. Helped his team. Helped _him_. He'd been so grateful and she was so beautiful and clearly interested in him. Mako the orphan turned pro-bender who had spent most of his young life on the streets. It had seemed like some weird dream. This rich, beautiful girl who was so eager to help him achieve his dreams of a better life for himself and his brother, Bolin. He _was_ grateful. But he had realized now that his relationship with her had been founded on him feeling like he owed her so much for doing everything she had. Like she had given him a chance so he should do the same. But that wasn't right. Relationships weren't supposed to be about how much you owed each other. He had few memories of his parents, young as he was when they'd died, but he remembered their relationship having a spark to it. There was no take, no keeping score. Only love and passion and partnership. Asami was beautiful, she was brilliant and he had tried hard to love her. But she wasn't what he needed. He understood now that even if there hadn't been someone else drawing him away from Asami, eventually he would have drifted off on his own. He needed passion. He needed fire. She was sweet and gentle and yielded to him. She never pushed him, never wanted him to be better. She wasn't stubborn and challenging and maddening. She was brilliant but…she wasn't _amazing_. She wasn't Korra.

Brave, head-strong Korra who drove him crazy. He'd rejected her for reasons he could barely remember anymore. Korra, who was so strong and independent and had knocked his carefully controlled world on its arse with her stubborn attitude and free spirit. She had consumed him, inspired him and in return he'd made her watch him try and be happy with Asami. And then he'd nearly ruined his friendship with her when she was doing the right thing. Doing her job. Because he was trying to be a good boyfriend. He'd disregarded her concern, taken it for jealousy and thrown it in her face. And still she had forgiven him, given him a home and told him to do what he needed to because Asami had needed him then. Never once letting on that she might need him too. That she was scared and felt like she was failing them all. That watching him be with someone else was breaking her. And now that he'd finally realized what an idiot he was being, things might never work out for them because he'd caused so much damage. He didn't deserve her forgiveness. Her love. He knew that. He'd made a mess of it all and now it might all be too little, too late.

When he finally found himself in front of Asami's room Mako knew this would not end well. There would be no easy solution. No easy out. He was going to hurt her, because it was the right thing to do. He'd made his bed and now would have to lie in it. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he stepped up to her door and knocked. There was no response, but he hadn't really expected one. Sighing, the dread in the pit of his stomach stirring restlessly, he slid the door aside and stepped into the little room. She was still there at least, lying on her bed with her back to the door. Some small part of him had been afraid she'd run. But there was nowhere else she could be. Nowhere she could run to. Remembering that now brought on a wave of fresh guilt that he had to fight back down.

"Asami…" He heard his own hesitant voice and hated it. Hated himself for all of this. "We need to talk."

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Things were oddly quiet after all the excitement. After all the talking and crying it seemed strange for there to be no one else coming into her room with something to say. It was peaceful. She wasn't sure she could handle any more heartfelt confessions or inspirational pep talks. Letting everything out had been freeing and she was grateful to Tenzin for helping her let go of all those pent up emotions, but she needed to be alone now. Needed to breathe. Needed to think. She didn't feel quite so groggy now that she'd been awake for a while and her mind felt surprisingly clear. Like some part of her had opened when she'd let go of her guilt and was flowing more freely now. It was liberating. She felt somehow like something inside of her had shifted into place. She had been wrapped up in so much guilt before now. Guilt she knew came from her failure to protect the people she loved. It was her duty as the Avatar to protect the balance of the world but it was slipping into chaos before her eyes. Her failure to correct all that was wrong with the world had been burdening her with so much guilt that she had felt like she was drowning in it. But Tenzin had helped her let it all flow away and now, finally, she felt like herself again. She felt fluid somehow. More at ease with her emotions. It was a difficult concept to grasp but she felt like she'd experienced something similar before. When she had let go of her fears on Aang Memorial Island she had felt oddly grounded afterwards. More stable.

With a calm, easy breath Korra sat up and slipped to the floor beside her bed folding her legs into that well practiced position that had frustrated her so much not long ago. She had never truly understood why airbenders felt the need to sit around quietly for hours on end and think. It had felt like a pointless waste of time to someone who was always so busy and forceful. But sitting in that box, trapped with nothing but time, she had come to realize the importance of reflection. Had come to appreciate the calming, clarifying effects of meditation. She needed that clarity now. There was a lot she needed to do. Decisions that needed to be made.

With a deep breath, she let herself sink into that sweet quiet place where her mind was at ease and her spirit was free. She could simply exist here; let all her troubles flow away. The peace of being able to simply breathe and be...she wondered idly how she could ever have tried to deny herself something so soothing before. She had always been resilient. Stubborn. When something blocked her path she forced her way through. That attitude had gotten her into trouble more often than she cared to admit. It was time for change. It was time to learn when not to fight. She could bend and she could flow. She could learn to think like an airbender.

When she opened her eyes again there were tears there, but she was smiling contently. She carefully dried her eyes and stood shakily to her feet. Her body ached everywhere and fatigue was dragging at her, but she didn't want to sleep. She had slept enough. So, as quietly as she could, Korra slid her window open and carefully slipped out of it, the White Lotus guards stationed at her door blissfully unaware of her escape.

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For a moment he thought she might be sleeping, despite the sunlight streaming in through her window. She hadn't reacted to his knocking on her door and it seemed like she wasn't going to react to this either. But then she sat up, looking up at him with hard eyes and the moment he had been dreading had arrived.

"So let's talk, Mako." She had crossed her legs and her arms were folded, every inch of her defiant. Angry. He sighed and stepped forward, his arms open in a placating way.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? Last night we were both tense and emotions were high. We said stuff we didn't mean." They had said things they _had_ meant too but he would get to that. "I know you don't really blame her for all of this. I know you that well at least. And I'm sorry I snapped at you." She eyed him for a moment and her frown deepened.

"You're sorry for snapping, but you're _not_ sorry I was right." She wasn't asking. Letting out a frustrated huff, Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away from her.

"No, I'm not sorry for that," he admitted. When he looked at her again there were angry tears in her eyes.

"So I was right. You do love her. You've always loved her…this whole time." The betrayal in her tone tugged at his heart but he steeled himself. This needed to be done.

"Yes, I do." He wondered why he wasn't more surprised. Had he always known he loved her? Or had Korra simply taken over him so subtly and so sneakily that he truly hadn't noticed until there was no hope for him to ever turn back. His heart clenched in his chest when he looked down at Asami and her hurt, betrayed eyes. "You know why I'm here," he said as gently as he could. Her sudden half-muffled sob startled him.

"Please…please, Mako. Don't do this." Her pain was so raw and the flare of guilt threatened to overwhelm him, but he couldn't turn back now. Not now that he knew where he needed to be.

"I'm sorry, Asami. But this isn't right. You must see that. You and me…we aren't right." She shook her head desperately and launched herself at him. Before he could so much as blink she was kissing him. Pressing her entire body flush to his and kissing him with all the desperation she felt at his leaving her. Clutching at him like a lifeline. He shut his eyes tight and carefully pushed her back.

"Please," she whimpered. "I need you…" He sighed sadly and shook his head.

"No, Asami. We can't. _I_ can't. I'm not what you need. Please, I need you to try and understand, because I don't want things to be sour between us. I care about you a lot, but I _love_ her and _she_ needs me. She needs all of us. And I can't lie to myself anymore. It isn't fair to any of us. I need to end this now, before things get worse." She pulled away from him and hugged her arms around herself, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her shoulders were shaking with barely restrained sobs and Mako had never hated himself more. "I'm so sorry," he said sadly. She spun away from him and bowed her head.

"Get out." He winced at the venom in her voice and reached out a hand towards her. He didn't want things to end like this. With her hating him. Hating _them_. His fingers grazed her arm but she pulled away from him sharply. "_Get out_!" She turned and shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled back in surprise, his shoulder banging into the wooden panel door behind him. She had turned away again and she was sobbing bitterly. Mako watched her for a moment, wide eyed, before sighing in defeat. He backed out of the room and slid the door closed behind him. The moment it clicked into place her heard her sobs grow a little louder and he grimaced. He had done what needed to be done and now he would give her space. He hoped that she would forgive him someday but for now he needed to focus on someone else he had wronged. It was time to fix what he had broken. But first he needed to find his brother. Before he could go to Korra he needed to clear his head and Bolin was the best person to go to for that.

The men's dormitories were on the other side of the island and he took a slow walk there. He knew Bolin would still be sleeping. So much had already happened today; it felt wrong for it to still be so early. The walk helped clear up his emotions a little and he was surprised to find he actually felt relieved. He stamped out the guilt that brought on and decided to stop by the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Bolin was usually more inclined to waking up when there was food involved. When he walked into the room he found Pema stirring a big bowl of porridge, adding honey, milk and butter as she worked. It smelt delicious and his stomach rumbled audibly. Pema turned at the sound and chuckled.

"You're a little early, dear. Breakfast won't be ready for a while yet." He smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"That's ok, I was just looking for something to coax Bolin out of bed with. Would you mind if I stole some toast?" Pema smiled at him good naturedly and motioned to the big loaf of fresh bread on the counter by the window.

"Of course you can. Help yourself." Mako thanked her and moved to accept the big bread knife she offered him. They worked in comfortable silence, Pema stirring her big bowl of porridge and Mako carefully slicing the bread into neat, even slices. She would speak every now and then. Ask how Korra was feeling. Ask how _he_ was feeling. But for the most part they simply enjoyed the warm silence of the early morning. He liked Pema. She reminded him a little of his own mother. Standing here in the kitchen and helping her with breakfast brought back memories he thought were long forgotten. It was like a breath of fresh, healing air. By the time he had finished slicing up the entire loaf he felt like some old wound had been cauterized in his soul. He felt at peace in this place. Like he was home. Like he had a family again. The thought made everything else he'd had to do today feel a little less awful. When he was done he thanked Pema again and snagged a few of the bread slices he'd cut up, toasting them with a little fire as he walked. He chuckled when Pema told him to be careful and promised her he wouldn't burn the house down as he slipped away.

When he walked into his brother's room Bolin was sprawled out on his bed, legs and arms splayed all over the place. Smirking at his brother he gave his foot a swift kick and then waved a slice of the crispy, steaming toast in front of his nose.

"Bo, wake up. I need to talk to you." Bolin groaned and sniffed at the air, rolling over like a giant rag doll, his entire body shifting towards the smell of the food. He smacked his lips sleepily and a goofy grin spread across his face. He peeked open an eye and when he saw what Mako was offering he snapped upright, snagging a slice and taking a huge bite while he stretched and moaned, all in one ungainly movement.

"What a wonderful way to wake up in the morning," he sighed, finishing off the rest of the slice in a single bite and grabbing another. He eyed his brother, who was nibbling on his own slice and flopped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What's up, bro? Korra ok?" Mako smiled and nodded.

"She's fine. Tired and beaten up pretty bad but she'll be ok. She was talking to Tenzin about what happened when I left." Bolin nodded and sat back in that casual way of his.

"Mmmh, uh huh. Didn't I say she would be ok? I was right, see? You should listen to me more often." He put on an overly sagacious tone and stroked his face as if he were some wise old man. Mako chuckled and shook his head. Bolin was such an upbeat guy. Mako sometimes wondered how he always saw the bright side to things when they had grown up the way they had. He had spent his entire life trying to protect his brother but he also understood that Bolin had been protecting Mako from himself. Growing up on the streets and keeping each other safe had forged a close bond between them. Bolin knew Mako well. So well that even now, when Mako seemed content, he could pick up that something was bothering his older brother. He punched him playfully on the arm and snatched up the last slice of toast.

"Something eating you?" He asked casually. He knew better than to push. Mako glanced out the window for a second before he sighed and shrugged.

"I broke up with Asami." Bolin simply nodded and it confused Mako a little. He wasn't sure what he had expected. Shock maybe? Certainly not casual acceptance.

"That sucks, man. How'd she take it?" Mako gave him a look and Bolin chuckled. "That bad?"

"You seem shockingly calm about this," Mako said, a little unintended edge to his voice. But Bolin just laughed at him and slugged a playful arm over his older brother's shoulder.

"Oh c'mon, Mako. It's not like we didn't all see this coming. You and Korra man, it's like a done deal. You guys aren't exactly subtle people, y'know?" He chuckled and gave his brother a shove. "This thing between you and Asami sucks coz it's all messed up and stuff, but you and Korra? That just makes sense in a warped kinda way." Mako stared at his younger brother in shock and he couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up his throat.

"You're ok with it? With me and Korra?" He had been worried that Bolin might take it badly. That he might still be harbouring a little crush on her. But Bolin laughed and waved his arms dismissively.

"I told you man, I'm over it. Korra's great but she doesn't look at me like that." He gave his brother a lecherous grin and poked his chest. "And we've _all_ seen how you two look at each other." He waggled his eyebrows at Mako and his older brother blushed bright red. Had it really been that obvious?

"So wait," Bolin said, looking at his brother seriously now. "Have you and Korra actually talked about all of this? You guys are like 'official' and stuff now?" Mako hesitated then and swallowed nervously.

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm heading back to her next. We have a lot to talk about." Bolin nodded at this and folded his arms.

"Yeah, you kind of made a mess there, bro. You got a plan?" Mako thought about it and then shrugged.

"Not really. But I'm hoping she gives me forever to come up with one."

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When he didn't find her in her room Mako knew a moment of panic. The guards hadn't said anything about her leaving when he'd walked into the room, so where on earth was she? His breath hitched in his throat at the thought that she'd been taken again, but he forced himself to calm down. The room looked exactly as he'd left it. There were no signs of a struggle and he was sure that if there had been one, the guards would have heard anyway. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and looked around the room again. When his eyes fell on the open window he felt his entire body relax. She had obviously just slipped away, wanting to have a little time alone, without people watching her every move like she might break. He imagined she had a lot on her mind and when Korra wanted to let off steam she trained. Deciding to follow her example, Mako leapt easily out of the window and moved towards the training grounds.

He found her at the spinning gates. She was moving through them with a grace he never would have associated with her before. She spun and twisted and moved with the gates like she was one with the wind, perfectly calm and at ease. In and out, she weaved her way around the course, bending, twisting and flowing where the gates led her. It was like some surreal dance. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. He could have watched her practice forever but the gates started to slow down and then she was spinning lightly out of the course. She landed gently just outside of the gates and, with an easy twirling movement, thrust her palm forward to blast a stream of air into the gates to send them spinning once more. He felt pride well up in his chest as he watched her laugh happily and twirl in place, triumphantly pumping her fist in the air. She had finally overcome her block. She had finally learned to airbend. She took a step forward to move back into the gates and then froze where she stood, her entire body tense. She grimaced and doubled over in pain, one hand grasping her side while she used the other to steady herself on her knee. Mako was beside her without ever realizing he'd moved.

"Mako?" She hadn't noticed him there before, too immersed in the course to pay attention. She hadn't even noticed how much the movements had hurt until she had stopped.

"Easy," he said gently, slipping his arm around her waist to steady her. "C'mon, you should sit down." She let him lead her to the rocks near the trees and sat down with him, hissing in pain when her body fought against the action. The cuts and bruises were no big deal, but she'd messed up her leg when she'd tripped over that root and her back and ribs ached from that impact with the tree. They were burning now. She didn't even want to think about all the damage Tarrlok's prolonged blood bending had done. That alone was going to be worth weeks of healing sessions. Maybe she had over done it. She'd just felt so at peace moving through the maze that she had lost track of time. He shifted closer to her and looked her over uneasily. "Are you ok?" Worried again. She could see it in his eyes and she sighed.

"I'm fine. Just a little stiff and sore. Are you gonna tell me to stop being an idiot and go back to bed?" He chuckled at her and shook his head.

"I want to, but nah, you wouldn't listen. You never do," they smiled at each other in understanding and she leaned back comfortably. "I do wish you wouldn't push yourself so hard though. You were hurt pretty bad," he added after a moment and she tilted her head towards him.

"I know. But something clicked this morning and I just had to come out and try. And it worked! I'm finally an airbender!" She held out her hand and a little ball of swirling air gathered in her palm. They both watched it spin for a moment before she closed her hand into a fist, the little ball of air dissipating with a puff. It wasn't the most phenomenal feat of airbending he'd ever seen but it was a huge leap for her and it lit up her entire being. Her joy and excitement were contagious and he grinned at her.

"I knew you'd do it eventually. Bolin was right after all, you're a natural." He thought back to the way she had moved through the course and his smile softened. "What you were doing in there…it was incredible. I've never seen anyone move like that." That brought a flush to her cheeks and she glanced away, suddenly shy.

"How long were you watching?" That coy tone and the pretty flush on her cheeks did funny things to his heart and he grinned lazily.

"Long enough to know you're incredible." Her blush deepened at this and they sat in silence for a minute, neither sure how to address the elephant-pig in the room. He was curious though. She had been having so much trouble with airbending until now. He set aside his nerves for a moment and turned to look at her more directly. "Do you mind if I ask what changed? Was it...was it something that happened when that creep took you?" He half expected her to close up and tell him it was just the training finally kicking in. But she never set her shoulders in that way he knew she would when she was bottling things up.

"In a way, yeah. When Tarrlok took me he locked me in a metal box so I couldn't escape. He left me in the basement of this tiny little hut up in the mountains." She frowned at the memory and shuddered a little. "I've never learned how to metalbend so I was pretty much stuck in there." She rubbed at her shoulder and smirked lightly. "I banged myself up trying to break out of that thing. Y'know, beat my way out." He smiled because he did know. That was Korra after all. If something didn't want to budge she _made_ it budge. "But I realized I was just wasting energy so I decided to try and contact Aang instead. He'd been sending me all these weird visions and I could never make sense of them before then. Tenzin told me I should meditate on them to see if it would help me contact Aang and he was right. When I was trapped in there I guess I learnt a little about what it means to think like an airbender." She looked up at the gate course and smiled. "Airbending is all about freedom. You have to be able to adapt and go where the situation takes you. As soon as I let go of trying to force my way out of that box and let my mind go where it needed to be, it just…happened. Everything Tenzin's been teaching me sort of sank in." He grinned at her and flicked her hair with casual fingers.

"You're not gonna go full airbending monk and shave half your head are you?" He liked seeing her with her hair down. When she'd been dancing through the course it had flowed with her like a dark, mahogany halo. She snorted at him and rolled her eyes.

"Not on your life." She smirked then and eyed him mischievously. "Although the tattoos might be an idea. I heard they glow when you go into the Avatar state. That could look pretty badass." He tried to imagine her with big blue arrows all over her body and grimaced, which made her laugh. "Relax city boy, I'm not about to turn into some wise old guru. I'm still me just…me with awesome airbending skills." He watched her seriously for a moment, drinking in her presence. She was intoxicating. Her smile lit her up and fueled something in him. Without really thinking about it Mako reached out and threaded his fingers through her hair. She inhaled sharply at the sudden tender gesture and he smiled when she leaned into him slightly. His fingers found their way to her neck and he tugged lightly, drawing her in.

"Mako…I-" He cut her off, pressing his lips to hers in a feather light kiss. The world shifted around them and, for the first time, Mako knew perfection. The kiss was short, sweet and he wished it had been their first. There was something so tender in the way her hands pressed against his chest and he felt his own arms slip around her and pull her close. But then her hands really were pressing back against him and she was gently pushing him away. When they broke apart they were still only inches from each other and her breath danced across his face in a light flutter. He glanced up at her, half-dazed and the small, pained frown on her face confused him.

"We can't," she whispered and the words tasted like vinegar in her mouth after a kiss so sweet. "We can't do this." Her fingers had tangled themselves up in his scarf and she gripped it tight, tilting her head up slightly so she could look him in the eye. He looked devastated and her heart clenched painfully.

"But…I thought that…" He wasn't sure what to say. He'd thought she wanted this too. Hadn't she just been kissing him back? Hadn't she felt that blissful rightness when their lips had met and everything had suddenly been right in the world? He watched a tear slide down her cheek and when she looked up at him with a sad little smile, he could see she had. She did want this. She wanted _him_.

"I'm not saying _never_," she said in a sort of half-whisper, her voice a little hoarse with emotion. "Just…not right now. Things are still messy right now and we're hurting Asami enough as it is." He grimaced at that and knew it was true. After all, she knew exactly what it was like to watch the person you loved be with someone else. "Not to mention this thing with Amon. We're practically at war. As much as I want to just forget everything else…I can't pretend that this would be right. Not now. We should give it a little time." Her eyes softened when he sighed, knowing she was right. "I've waited this long," she said gently. "We can wait a little more." He pulled her close and held her to his chest, burying his face in her hair and breathing her in.

"We can wait," he agreed sadly. "Just a little more." Because she was right and, as much as it hurt, he knew it. Her smile was sad and resigned. She leaned up again and pressed her lips lightly to his in one last chaste kiss. It was heartbreaking and filled with promise and anticipation. It made her ache all over again but she needed one last moment of self-indulgence before they put aside their feelings in respect of the people around them.

"You'll tell me, right?" He asked when they pulled apart again, his eyes pleading and she knew exactly what he was asking.

"I think we'll just know."

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(Oh the bittersweet sappyness of it all! I had originally intended to leave this right here and be happy with it. But the characters had minds of their own and an entire plot line just erupted out of nowhere. So I've decided to continue this. I'm not sure how many chapters it's going to take just yet but I do know what needs to be done and how. The scene between Mako and Korra in the end there…that was difficult to write. Not so much because it was such a painful decision for her to make, but because my inner romantic was fighting me tooth and nail to let them be selfish and just be together already. Curse Korra and her noble Avatar nature. I so wanted to give them a fluffy, happy thing here since, from what I've seen of the previews for the next three episodes, it doesn't look like Makorra is likely in the immediate future.

So yes, I'm taking this story right to the end with my own Amon showdown and all. I have my suspicions how the show will handle that but regardless of what happens there, I'd like to finish this the way I see it happening, with a less speedy resolution than three more episodes would allow and my own theories on who and what Amon really is.

And to all my lovely reviewers, I really appreciate you guys giving me feedback, it's really uplifting to see how much you guys are enjoying my ramblings. But don't hesitate to nit pick. I don't have a beta and after about the sixth or seventh reread you start to miss your own mistakes. If you guys see any problems, let me know. I'm here to improve, not just be showered with praise lol, although I do love it.)


	3. Chapter 3

It had only been a few days but Korra was already starting to feel her strength return. Between daily healing sessions and a few on-the-side sessions of her own, her wounds were healing and her body was finding its old rhythm again. She was pushing herself in her training again. It was exhausting but gratifying. Her airbending was improving in leaps and bounds. She'd mastered the air scooter after only a few tries and all the bruises that came with her falling off the stupid thing had been worth it when she'd finally been able to stay on. Her skill in the physical side of bending was shining through now and she found herself catching up with Tenzin's children fast. She needed all the skill she could get if she was going to help keep the world in balance. So, despite stern warnings from Tenzin, Pema, her healers and even Mako, she pushed and she worked until she could barely move because the world needed an Avatar that wasn't helpless. The fact that it kept her mind off the mess that was her love-life was a small bonus. Maybe a big bonus.

It had been her decision to postpone a relationship with Mako in deference to her duties and Asami's feelings. But that didn't make the decision any easier. She had tried to simply stay away from him for the first day or two, but they seemed to almost gravitate towards each other. No matter where she went or what she did, she would inevitably bump into him. It was crazy! They'd never been so ridiculous about their attraction before. She often wondered if their sudden desperation for each other's company came from a combination of them finally being allowed to be together and their decision not to be. Training all day and all night meant she was focused and focusing on training meant she didn't have to try so hard not to think about kissing him. Think about how it had felt to have him hold her so intimately. Think about what the two of them were doing to Asami.

She hadn't spoken to Asami since before she'd been taken by Tarrlok. The older girl had been avoiding her and Korra felt awful for hurting her. She liked Asami. They were different in a lot of ways but the girl had spunk and she wasn't afraid of a fight. Korra admired the fact that she had kept her head and stuck to what was right when it meant losing her only family. She admired the girl for her beauty and grace. Was even secretly a little jealous of her for it. She would never admit it but she was desperately glad she had suffered very few permanent scars from her recent ordeal. Worrying about her looks had never been something she thought was worth her time, but the insecure girl in her begged to differ. Asami was gorgeous and Korra had often felt like she must look positively plain in comparison to the beautiful older girl. She wished they weren't fighting. Asami was the only girl near her age that Korra knew and she had valued her friendship. But even if Asami hadn't been doing everything she could to avoid her, Korra had no idea what she would say to her.

She saw her at meal times and often thought about following her afterwards to talk. To explain. To apologise. But she could never think of anything to say that wouldn't feel like empty words. Because she _was_ sorry she had hurt Asami but she wasn't sorry that Mako wanted her. How could she be when it felt like the most wonderful thing in the world? She'd waited for him. Let him be with someone else when she thought it would make him happy. Suffered in silence for them. And in the end he had chosen her. The thought made her heart sing and sent shivers down her spine. She was ashamed of herself really. She was hurting someone she thought of as a very close friend and she'd never been happier. So rather than face up to that shame she pushed and she fought and she worked. There were more pressing things to think about. Today was no different.

She and Tenzin were working on a series of forms that allowed for both tactical retreat and long range attack. The movements would send them spiralling and spinning across the training field by riding a tunnel of air. When they gained some distance from one another they would blast air outwards from the sides of the tunnel to knock each other down. Or at least that was the idea. Korra had yet to manage holding the tunnel's shape and movement while simultaneously blasting air at Tenzin. The move required her to hold the air in several different shapes at the same time. Each time she managed to spiral herself away from him to attempt knocking him back, her tunnel would collapse and he would blast her off her feet. He blew to a stop beside her and sighed, rolling his shoulders as he let his tunnel dissipate.

"That's enough for today, Korra. You are doing remarkably well, but it's time to rest now." Tenzin watched as she simply got up and kept going, swirling her arms to gather enough air to form a new tunnel. "Pema will have dinner ready soon. You should go wash up." He was trying to be stern, but it wouldn't be the first time she had simply ignored him.

"That's ok, you go ahead. I wanna work on this form a little more. I'm pretty sure I can get it down tonight if I just –" She was cut off when Tenzin strode over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, glaring down at her firmly.

"No, Korra. I've had enough. I know you are under pressure and you want to work hard, but pushing yourself like this is only hurting you. Your body needs time to rest." He gave her a shove towards the temple and eyed her seriously. "I won't take no for an answer, young lady. Or do you want me to fetch Pema and have her handle this?" Korra winced violently at that and sighed in defeat. She didn't want to have to face Pema's pregnancy-fuelled wrath. She loved her but she could be damn scary sometimes, especially now with her pregnancy so close to its end.

"Alright, alright, you win," she mumbled, allowing him to steer her back to the temple. She would sneak out later again when he was busy. Tenzin was always busy these days. From what she'd heard of his conversations with Lin, Tarrlok's betrayal of the council had become a public relations nightmare. The council was up in arms about what to do. No one wanted to deny the fact that Tarrlok was a criminal, but letting the public know what he was would only add fuel to Amon's cause. If they didn't tell the city what Tarrlok was, he became martyr that the people would sympathise with. But if they did reveal his secret Amon would be the hero that had rid the city of another Yakone. And on top of that disaster, the entire city was terrified. Their Avatar had been so easily kidnapped and the war seemed to be escalating rapidly with no sign of a speedy resolution. The entire situation was infuriating and Korra just knew Amon was loving it.

When they reached the main door leading into the living quarters of the temple the airbending children all rushed her with a jubilant cry of her name. She laughed happily when Meelo leapt up at her and crawled over her shoulder to cling to her back yanking on her air-nomad training uniform. Ikki jumped around her, chattering about her day while Jinora stood before her and smiled patiently, waiting her turn.

"Korra, Korra! Are you done training? Can you come play? We could go gliding and you could fly too and we could pretend to be sky-pirates!" Ikki's excitement always amused Korra and she laughed now.

"Sorry, Ikki. I haven't learnt how to use a glider yet. Maybe Tenzin will teach me tomorrow," she said with a grin, eyeing Tenzin and knowing he was about to be coerced into doing exactly that. Meelo crawled up her back and she laughed heartily when he scrambled up onto her head, tugging at her hair to keep his balance.

"Yeah, Daddy, Korra has to fly! So we can take over the sky and be pirates and rule the world!" Meelo roared and tried to leap off her head into the air. She caught him and tucked him easily under her arm, tickling him while he squirmed. Tenzin sighed tiredly when Ikki started zooming around him on an air scooter, chattering about gliders and flying and sky-pirates. Korra grinned and hoisted Meelo up over her shoulder, deciding to take pity on her airbending master.

"C'mon, guys, its dinner time. If you all behave I'll tell you some neat stories Katara told me about Avatar Aang." She smirked knowingly when they all cried out in joy and Ikki rushed off to go wash up for dinner. Korra giggled happily as she watched Tenzin gratefully walk into the temple. She knew he loved his children but they could really be a handful and the poor man had so much on his plate. She sometimes wondered how he kept so calm all the time. Perhaps years of meditation really did do wonders for your psyche in the long run. She followed him in, still carrying a struggling Meelo and smiled when Jinora walked up beside her.

"Korra, do _you_ know what happened to Zuko's mom?" She asked hopefully. She winced at that and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Jinora, I never heard that one. When I was growing up I only ever really asked Katara about the big adventures she went on with her friends. The other stories never really interested me." Jinora sighed sadly and Korra chuckled. "Don't worry. I have plenty of really good ones for you." She winked and Jinora smiled brightly. Korra loved the kids. They were like the little siblings she'd never had growing up. Each of them was a little bright spot in the mess that was their lives. Playing with them and telling them stories made her feel like part of the family. A family she would do anything to protect. When they reached the girl's dormitories she let go of Meelo and shuffled him down the hall towards the men's rooms, watching him run after his father and leap up onto his leg, clutching it tight. Tenzin never missed a step. Korra smiled warmly at them. She doubted Meelo would take a bath. It was a fight to get him in the water. On more than one occasion she'd had to use waterbending to clean the kid and he would always find a way to get dirty immediately afterwards.

With a wave to Jinora she stepped into her room and gathered up some clean clothes. She was looking forward to a hot bath. Her body was stiff and tired and a nice long soak sounded amazing. She tracked wearily down to the big communal bathroom the girls all shared and slipped inside. It had always seemed strange to her. The bath looked more like a giant heated pool. But Pema had explained that bathrooms like this were common practice amongst the air-nomads, who shared everything. The room was quiet and she sighed with relief. Undressing quickly, she eased into the warm water, sinking in to her nose. It felt good to relax for a change. Even her meditation sessions in the morning were dedicated to her duties. She spent so much time thinking about how to handle Amon and the Equalists and training to fight them, she had almost forgotten how to unwind. She let out a long breath and let herself relax for the first time in ages. A shudder ran through her and she frowned lightly. The water wasn't quite hot enough. Nothing a firebender couldn't fix. She sat up and folded her hands together in a well-practiced pose. With a deep breath she exhaled sharply, heating up the water with her 'breath of fire'. The water hissed as the entire room filled with steam. Much better. She smiled at her handy work but froze when she heard a gasp come from across the room. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly filled her throat, Korra turned to see Asami standing in the water on the other end of the bath. It was clear she hadn't noticed Korra come in until the sudden change in the water's temperature. They stared at each other for a moment and Korra found herself at a loss for words. The room suddenly felt ice cold. There was so much she wanted to say. So much that needed to be said. But Korra could feel her throat tighten the second she tried to open her mouth and Asami only watched her, her expression unreadable. With a splash she was out of the water and then she was gone. All Korra could think was that if she hadn't left the training field this whole encounter could have been avoided. With a frustrated sigh she flopped back down into the water, intent on simply finishing her bath and getting out. She hated that she was avoiding things now. She had never been the type of person to avoid anything before and now it seemed like she was avoiding everything but her duties. But she didn't know how else to deal with this sort of situation.

Growing up in a training compound had left her with no companions her own age. Struggles of the heart were new to her. She had tried being her usual forceful self and that had gotten her rejection. Apparently telling a boy who was already dating someone else that you were 'meant to be' was bad form, despite what Pema had to say about it. So she had tried to force herself to forget him instead. And then he had come to her and suddenly she had all sorts of other problems to deal with. She had to be patient. She _hated_ being patient. It always felt like wasting time. Dating and relationships were a giant pain in the neck. She wanted to do what came naturally and confront the problem head on. But when she looked at Asami all she felt was shame and that was a new and awful feeling. One she didn't want to face.

LoK_LoK_LoK

Asami didn't really know what to do with herself anymore. Trapped on an island with her ex-boyfriend and the girl he had left her for. With nowhere else to go. She'd been switching from furious to heartbroken for days and the emotional rollercoaster was beginning to wear her down. She felt lost and broken and alone. Alone on an island full of people. The thought seemed ridiculous. She'd been avoiding her friends, if she could call them that. Hadn't spoken to anyone in days. Hadn't spoken at all in days. She had been dividing her time between the woods on the island, training in her own fighting style, and helping Pema with chores. She found the menial housework helped keep her mind off things and Pema was wonderful company, even when Asami wasn't speaking.

She hadn't missed the fact that Korra seemed to be avoiding Mako and it gave her a twisted sort of satisfaction. She half hoped that Korra had simply rejected him entirely but knew that was unlikely. Korra had hidden it well but according to Ikki she'd had feelings for Mako all along. Had even shared a kiss with him. She wasn't sure whether or not she was happy Bolin had let that little bit of information slip. They had kissed…when she and Mako had only just started dating. Did that count as cheating? They had only been together for a few days at the time. They hadn't been anything serious yet. But it still felt like a monstrous betrayal. The tournament seemed so long ago. Things had been easier then, simpler. It had all become a disaster so fast. And her father had gotten himself tangled up in the middle of all of it. She realised that given the situation in the city, she shouldn't be so focused on something as petty as a love-triangle. But how could anyone expect her to have any emotional reserves left? Her mother had been taken from her when she was young enough to barely remember her so the only parent she'd ever really known was her father. She'd lived her entire life loving him dearly and believing him to be a good man who generally wanted to help people. And then he'd turned out to be in league with the Equalists and that monster, Amon. She'd had to forget everything she'd known about him. Everything she'd loved. She'd had to choose the 'right side' over her father. Her emotional tank had already been running on empty when Mako had decided to break her heart. There was nothing left in her to be gracious. All that was left now was heartache and anger and confusion.

It was a night like any other when Pema decided it was time for her to start talking again. Asami had been helping her with dinner and, as usual, hadn't said a word all night. She'd been set to chopping vegetables and had barely started the job when Pema cleared her throat expectantly.

"Asami, dear, are you alright? You've been very quiet lately." Asami grimaced and bowed her head a little, focusing more on the vegetables. She didn't want to talk. But Pema was persistent. "Is this about whatever you and the others are arguing about?" She hesitated then, the knife pausing half-way through the potato she was working on. She hadn't thought the adults had really been paying attention to the teens' social situations. When she glanced nervously at the older woman Pema laughed. "Come now, you didn't think we wouldn't see how you three have been acting did you? Mako has been hovering like an over-protective mother, Korra is avoiding all of you and you haven't said a word in days. Bolin is the only one acting like himself." Asami didn't really know what to say to that. How did she explain her problems to a woman who had everything she wanted out of life? Pema had a loving husband and a wonderful family. What could she possibly know about Asami's situation? But…she was so tired of feeling alone.

"Mako and I…we broke up." It felt weird to say it out loud. Like something in her hadn't really acknowledged it until that moment. Her voice sounded like a stranger's to her own ears after so many days of silence.

"I'm sorry, dear," Pema said sympathetically. "Do you want to talk about it?" She seemed genuinely concerned and it was like a switch had suddenly been flipped somewhere inside her. Tears pooled in her eyes and Asami felt herself break all over again. A sob burst past her lips and she dropped the knife, gripping the counter top tightly.

"Oh, sweety it's alright," Pema said gently, steering her toward the table with warm, motherly hands. "Sit down, I'll make us some tea and we can talk." She did as she was bid and tried to regain her composure, watching the older woman work. By the time Pema was setting a cup of steaming tea down in front of her, Asami had managed to swallow her tears long enough to thank her. And when Pema gave her an encouraging look she felt the entire story just bubble out of her in a long rush. Her relationship with Mako. His hidden feelings for Korra. Korra's apparently equally hidden feelings for him. Her suspicions over Mako's reaction to Korra being kidnapped. And finally their break-up, that had left her so emotionally drained. Pema listened patiently and when the story was finally over she was smiling at Asami in a sad, understanding sort of way.

"I know this may seem unlikely, dear, but I was in a similar situation when I was younger, except I was on the other end. I stole Tenzin from another woman," she admitted. "I don't think Lin ever truly forgave me." That took Asami by surprise.

"What did she do?" She asked, feeling a little hopeless. If she and Lin played the same role in this story, did that mean she was destined to be bitter and hate Korra and Mako forever?

"She tried to have me arrested." Pema gave her a wry smile at this and reached out to pat Asami's hand. "But I really did steal Tenzin from her. I watched them together for years and it finally became too much. So I told him how I felt and he left her. Did Korra do the same thing?" That gave Asami pause. _Had_ Korra done that? Had the younger girl thrown herself at Mako and confessed her love in order to sway him away from her?

"No. I mean Bolin said she did…but that was a long time ago. I don't think that had anything to do with…" She swallowed past the lump in her throat and shook her head. "I suppose, considering her feelings, she was actually really nice about our relationship." Admitting that hurt Asami more than she wanted it to. It meant she was angry with the younger girl for something she hadn't had any control over. Pema gave her a sympathetic nod and sat back to look at her for a moment.

"I know you're hurting, dear. It's not a fair situation and no one expects you to simply forgive and forget right away. But maybe you should talk to Korra. She needs her friends now more than ever and I'm sure she'd like to still count you as one. You _all_ need each other." Asami sighed and stared into her cup of tea. It was asking a lot. She didn't even know what she would say to Korra if they did talk. Logically she knew now that Korra hadn't done this. Not on purpose anyway. But that didn't change the fact that the Avatar was the reason Mako had left her. Pema left her at the table to finish dinner while Asami mulled things over. She sipped her tea quietly and watched Pema work, feeling just a little bit better. She didn't feel quite so alone anymore. Still broken and more confused now than ever. But not alone, and that helped.

When her cup was empty she stood and excused herself. Pema had given her a lot to think about and she needed time to process all of it. A bath would help. A long bath. She was in and out of her room in minutes and then she was sinking into the warm water. The room had a soft sort of lighting to it, thanks to the little lanterns hanging from the walls. The light didn't quite fill the bathhouse but it gave the entire room a sort of soft glow that made for a very relaxing ambiance. Sighing, she leaned back against the edge of the bath and let herself soak in the naturally heated water. The water fed into the bath from a hot spring that had been carved to look like a stylised koi fish. Korra had once told her it was in honour of the form the moon and ocean spirits had taken in the physical world. Something Aang had picked in memory of a great battle in the northern water tribe. She watched the fountain now, listening to the sound of the water gushing into the bath and sighed. Could she forgive the Avatar? Probably. But not right away. Sighing heavily she sank deeper into the water and enjoyed the silence, letting the water rush up past her ears so that everything was muffled. It was perfectly still in the bathroom when a loud hiss filled the air and the water suddenly became almost scalding. With a gasp of shock Asami stumbled to her feet and looked around nervously. With a start she felt her hands clench of their own accord and she had to fight to loosen them.

All she'd wanted was some time to sit and relax without having to think about Korra or Mako. But the Spirits had decided to throw the younger girl right into her solitude. She watched her now. Korra had an earthy sort of beauty to her. It wasn't striking or obvious. It was the type of beauty that stuck with you. Lingered and made you remember. With naturally tan skin, thick, dark hair and brilliant azure eyes, Asami half wondered if she'd ever really stood a chance. Oh she knew she was beautiful. She'd known since she was young. She'd spent most of her young life learning all the tricks to highlighting her features and making them more striking. But Korra didn't know. Korra was natural. And Asami was startled to find she was jealous of that. She wondered for a moment if she should say anything. Let _Korra_ say anything. She could see her trying to do just that. It seemed like she was trying to work up the nerve to speak. Asami wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. So before the younger girl could say whatever it was she was clearly trying to say, Asami left. She gathered her clothes and ran. Because she wasn't ready to forgive her. She wasn't ready to realise that Mako had been right.

LoK_LoK_LoK

When Korra finally slipped into the dining hall for dinner most of the residents of the temple were already there. She looked around the table and let out an irritated huff. The only seat open was right next to Mako. Of course. With a roll of her eyes she sat down beside him, trying hard not to seem uncomfortable. He smiled at her lightly when she sat and that damn shiver made its way down her spine again. Duties. Asami. She had to remember why they were waiting. She looked away from him and focused her attention on the other diners. To her surprise, Lin was sitting beside Pema, the two talking urgently to Tenzin. There was something in the way she was holding herself that warned Korra this wasn't a social visit. Curious, she leaned over toward Mako.

"What's going on? Did something happen?" He leaned in as well and shrugged.

"No idea, they've been whispering to each other since before I sat down. Pema looks pretty ticked off," he muttered. He glanced down at her still-empty plate and frowned, reaching forward to start piling food into it. Korra rolled her eyes and swatted his hands away. She didn't need Mako acting over-protective in front of Asami right now. Deciding instead to focus on the adults, she leaned forward and cleared her throat.

"What happened?" When they turned to look at her, Korra knew she was right. Something was going on.

"The Equalists are becoming emboldened. This mess with Tarrlok has done exactly what we've been worried it would. People are joining Amon's cause." Lin tossed a newspaper at Korra and when she lifted it she was greeted with a full page photo of an Equalist rally. A reporter had somehow infiltrated one and the sheer mass of people was horrifying.

"Spirits…there are so many." She hadn't realised so many people would side with a monster like Amon. There had to be hundreds now, maybe even thousands. "Even if we beat Amon, how are we going to fix all of this?" She threw the paper down in disgust and looked up at Tenzin.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tenzin said sagely. "For now we need to focus on the task at hand. Amon's strength is growing. We're going to need help if we want to face him on equal footing."

"Where are we going to get help from? Half the city hates us," Bolin said, serious for once. "And the other half is terrified of Amon." Tenzin nodded and pressed his fingers together in thought.

"I plan to ask the Order of the White Lotus." There was silence for a moment as they all processed that. If Tenzin wanted to involve the Order of the White Lotus, things must have progressed further than the adults had been letting on.

"I thought the White Lotus was already here." The entire room turned to look at Asami in shock and she frowned stubbornly. She turned to meet Korra's eye searchingly and the Avatar understood. Asami had made the first move. It was her turn.

"The sentries here are only a very small part of the order," she explained. "The actual order is much, much bigger. There are members all over the world. Even the compound I grew up in only had a few small teams stationed there." Mako leaned forward and looked at Tenzin over the table.

"How are you going to get them all here? If we sent out that many wires from the station, Amon would find out for sure." Tenzin glanced awkwardly at his wife and she glared at him in response, folding her arms irritably.

"You may as well tell them." When he seemed unwilling, looking at his wife apologetically, Lin took pity on him.

"He's planning to go to the South Pole himself," she explained seriously. She gave Tenzin a look and he exhaled heavily.

"The compound you were trained in still holds most of the higher ranking members. If I go directly to them we can organise a mass movement of the order to Republic City." Korra bit her lip at this and sat back.

"So you're leaving? But, we need you here Tenzin," her tone was more pleading than she was comfortable with. Tenzin was one of the few people in the city who really knew what he was doing. She needed his guidance. Pema let out a huff when Tenzin didn't answer.

"Oh, he hasn't told you the best part," she said sarcastically and Tenzin winced guiltily. The teens all turned to him expectantly and he sighed.

"When I go, I'm taking my family with me and they will remain there until the threat is over." Korra couldn't honestly say she was surprised. In fact she supported the idea wholeheartedly. She would miss Pema and the kids terribly but they would be safer away from this giant mess. They were her pseudo-family. If anything happened to them…

"The idea was mine," Lin said then and they all turned to her. "Tenzin and his family are the last remaining airbenders in the world. Their safety is of the utmost importance," she said seriously. Tenzin nodded to her and then looked seriously at Korra once more.

"I plan to return the moment I have amassed the Order. Lin will be remaining here with you. I want you to listen to her, Korra. All of you." He eyed the teens sternly and they all nodded stoically. "And please, for Spirit's sake, don't do anything foolish! You need to look out for one another. Now is the time to look to your friends. Keep each other safe." Korra glanced at each of her friends and wondered if they could do what Tenzin was asking of them. They all were all staring back at her, each looking as concerned as she felt. They were looking to her for leadership. They trusted her. In spite of everything that had happened between them, they trusted her. The thought filled her with new determination and she squared her shoulders.

"We'll do whatever it takes, Tenzin, I promise."

LoK_LoK_LoK

Dinner was a sombre affair after that. Korra listened to Tenzin discuss their plans to travel to the Southern compound with careful concentration. They were leaving within the next few days, flying on Oogi and two other bison. They would be taking a few air acolytes and healers with them in case the worst happened and Pema went into labour. Flying so late during her pregnancy was a danger she was unhappy about facing, but Korra suspected she was more upset about leaving them alone on the island. She was worried about them and the thought warmed Korra. When the plans were made and everyone had finished their quiet meal she stood and left the room, intent on some time alone to think. Her first instinct was to practice forms with the radio blaring outside. It had been her fall back whenever she needed to think. She'd been planning to do just that from the moment Tenzin had forced her inside for dinner. But instead she found her feet carrying her out into the dark, past the training area and into the bushes. She followed the path out onto the cliffs overlooking Yue Bay and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air.

She had come here once before, to stare out at Aang's statue, feeling lost and alone. Her friends had found her there, to comfort her. Things had been easier then. It felt like a lifetime ago. She stood for a moment and stared at the glowing statue, lit from below. Aang had done so much in his life. He'd been heralded as one of the greatest Avatars in existence, having ended the hundred year war at the tender age of twelve and founding the United Republic alongside Fire Lord Zuko just a short while later. Korra stared at the giant statue of her predecessor and smiled wryly. Large shoes to fill indeed.

"I could use your help here, Aang. How did you do it? You were just a kid and you saved the world. One city shouldn't be so hard." Korra sat and pressed her fists together, taking a deep breath to ease into her meditation. She let her mind and spirit free the way she had done in that box and felt the world shift around her. This felt different. It felt like she'd been disconnected from her body. She was floating. Lighter than air. The glow of the bay and the sounds of the ocean seemed oddly muted. But when had she opened her eyes? Curious, she glanced around and yelped in surprise. Was that her? How was she looking at her own body sitting on the ground below? For a second she panicked, wondering absurdly if she had died. Was it possible? To accidentally disconnect yourself from your body during mediation? It would be so typical of her. To somehow push too hard and accidentally shove out her own life force. Was her body still breathing? As soon as she thought of inspecting her own body she found herself floating down towards it. She leaned forward and squinted at herself. She certainly still _looked_ alive. It seemed strange to be looking at her own face without a mirror. She grimaced lightly. Was that really how exhausted she appeared to everyone else? A light hearted chuckle broke the odd silence and she spun sharply to see a glowing figure before her.

"Aang?" She was in the spirit world. Somehow she had slipped into the spirit world and, for the first time, she had made a true connection with him. He smiled at her warmly and she could see that youthfulness Katara had spoken of so fondly hidden in his old eyes. This Aang was older than the one she'd seen in her visions. She could feel her connection to him strongly now. They were one and the same. Two versions of the same everlasting being.

"It's good to see you, Korra. What took you so long?" The words sounded familiar but she wasn't sure why. With a smile of her own, Korra bowed deeply.

"Sorry I kept you waiting." She looked up at him and grinned. "I've been a little tied up lately." He chuckled again and the sound lifted her spirits. Her figurative spirits anyway.

"I need your help, Avatar Aang. The city is falling out of balance. I don't know how to fix it. So many people hate benders now…" She looked up at him imploringly. He had gone through so much; he _had_ to have some ideas. He paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts.

"When my friends and I started the Harmony Restoration Movement, we assumed that people from the different nations shouldn't be mixed. Be believed that after all the damage caused by the fire nation, the people of the world needed time to heal without reminders of the war. Much has happened since the Hundred Year War, Korra, but one thing will never change: people fear what they do not understand. Fire Lord Zuko saw what the Movement was doing to his people and he fought to protect them and this made The Earth King fear for his people. He would not listen so he fought and the Harmony Restoration Movement failed. You know the story of how the City was founded. When the people understood each other, there was harmony. Republic City has fallen out of balance because they are divided by fear. You must make them see, Korra. You must unite them once more. Make them see. Make them _listen_. When you do that, you will have all the strength you need to defeat Amon." She paused and frowned slightly.

"So you're saying I need to unite the benders against him?" It sounded like he was asking her to build an army. He smiled at her knowingly and shook his head.

"No, Korra. I am saying you need to unite the _people_. Remember, we are all connected. All the nations are one people. Everything and everyone is connected." That sparked an old memory she wasn't sure was hers.

"Separation is just an illusion," she whispered to herself and Aang's smile widened.

"Do you understand now?" She nodded determinately. She did understand. And she knew what she needed to do. Tenzin was not going to like this.

"Thank you, Aang," she said sincerely. He moved closer to her then and rested his hand lightly on her shoulder. The sensation was odd. Like a breath of air ghosting across her skin.

"Remember," he said seriously. "The illusion of separation always destroys balance and harmony. You will need to find balance in yourself, if you intend to fix the balance of the world." She stared up at him in confusion and wondered what exactly he meant. But before she could think to ask he started to fade away and when she blinked she found herself back in her own body. The sudden change was disorienting and she swayed where she sat on the hard earth. She lifted a hand to her head and took a steadying breath. Aang had told her to unite the people and in order to do that, she would first need to find balance within herself. But how? How did anyone achieve true balance?

"Are you ok?" Startled, Korra flipped to her feet and spun into a defensive stance. When her eyes fell on Mako she sighed and relaxed. He'd followed her. Still over-protective. She wondered idly if it would annoy her more if she weren't so madly in love with the idiot.

"How long have you been here?" He shrugged and moved over to stand beside her, looking out at the bay. The light of the moon cast a soft glow across his features and she had the brief notion that this could have been a very romantic setting, if things had been just a little different.

"I saw you sneak off. Figured you'd be pushing yourself with your training again." He glanced at her then and smirked. "I was planning to drag you back to the temple. I know we're waiting and you don't want me to make things more difficult, but I wasn't gonna let you keep hurting yourself like that. But when you came here I realised you just wanted some time alone to think. So I decided to wait." He hesitated and looked up at the night sky. "When you were meditating…it seemed like you weren't really there. Like your body was here but _you_ weren't." A self-conscious sort of frown creased his brow and he shrugged. "I know, it sounds crazy." She smiled then and shook her head.

"No, it doesn't. You were right, in a way. I _wasn't_ here anymore. I was in the Spirit World. I…I spoke to Aang." His eyes widened and he turned fully towards her.

"You actually spoke to him?" She chuckled at his shock.

"I know, it sounds crazy." She was teasing him and it made him smile. "I needed his help but I wasn't sure how to contact him before. He came to me when I let him." She turned to look back at Aang's statue and became serious once more. "I know what we have to do."

LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK

(So I've hinted quite a lot in the last few chapters as to where I'm going with this but hopefully the hints are cryptic enough not to give too much away XD

Has everyone seen the new episode? I was literally freaking out throughout the entire episode! Between Meelo's amazing fartbending and Lin's sacrifice...Oh man the tension! Also , little Rohan has terrible timing, haha. A lot happened and we even got a little taste of the inevitable Asami/Mako conflict to come. Looooved the new episode so much. But I don't think I'll be bringing General Iroh II into this. I didn't know about him at the start of this fic and I don't want to just steal ideas from the show now that I have to ball rolling. So no Iroh guys, sorry. Although am I the only one who sees potential in Iroh/Asami? Mostly just because it would clear up the Asami/Mako/Korra triangle quite nicely.

Anyway I'm really sick right now and I don't have the energy to sub this chapter again so if you guys spot any mistakes, let me know. Also, don't be afraid to nit-pick guys! I could use the crit. I'll try to reply to all your reviews sometime soon. I really appreciate all of them 8D)


	4. Chapter 4

The day Tenzin planned to ship his family off to the North Pole was a somber one. Korra hated to see them all go. They were her family now too and she would miss them. But Lin was right; they needed to be protected and Korra would give anything to see them safe. She watched as the Air Acolytes loaded the few provisions and belongings they would be taking with them onto the three Bison and sighed heavily. The airbending children stood around her sadly. Jinora had taken her hand and was clutching it tightly.

"Do you think we'll be gone long?" She asked quietly. Even Meelo and Ikki were quiet now, the mood weighing heavily on them all.

"I hope not, Jinora." Korra looked down at the younger girl and smiled sadly. "I'm going to miss you guys." Ikki stepped up to hug her tightly and Korra had to swallow past the lump in her throat.

"You gotta beat the bad guys, Korra," she said seriously. "Then we can come home and everything will be ok again." Korra chuckled and nodded, slipping her free arm around the little girl to hug her firmly.

"Don't worry," she said as Meelo hopped up onto her back, determined not to be left out of the group hug. "Amon doesn't stand a chance. I'll whip him in no time, I promise." She glanced over at Mako, Bolin and Asami, all of whom had gathered with her and the children to say goodbye. Her friends all looked as determined as she felt and she nodded to them. They had a lot of planning to do once Tenzin and his family were gone. She hadn't had the time to really sit down and talk to them about what needed to be done. In the days leading up to their departure, Tenzin had spent every spare moment he had training Korra in her airbending forms. And when he wasn't around he had Lin working with her on earthbending. Her inability to free herself from a metal prison had almost proved fatal, but the rough and tumble ex-chief believed Korra had what it took to be a metalbender. According to Lin she had the raw power and was certainly stubborn enough but the training was exhausting. Bolin had joined her for these sessions but neither had moved even a single coin thus far. She had found the training about as frustrating as her airbending had been before.

What little time she had that wasn't devoted to bending and training was spent meditating. Aang had told her to find balance within herself. To find inner peace. So she sat for what felt like hours in the morning, trying to center herself and find that mystical inner-balance that her past life had urged her to find. As if somehow mastering inner-peace could be done in just a few days with minimal effort and maximum reward. But she had no idea how to do that. She may have finally made contact with her spiritual side but that hardly meant she knew what to do with it now that she had it. All she ever saw when she closed her eyes was devastation. The city was falling into civil war. The antagonism between benders and non-benders was growing and she had to find some way to fix it before it all escalated beyond her control. And on top of all of that her love-life was a colossal mess that she was doing her best to shove aside in favour of the greater good. For some reason.

When all was packed and ready, it was with a heavy heart that she parted with the children to bid Tenzin and Pema goodbye, the elder woman hugging her tightly and tearfully pleading with her to stay safe.

"I'll be back as soon as I am able," Tenzin said from atop Oogi's back. "Once I have the White Lotus moving I will make for the island. Keep each other safe until then."

"Don't worry, Tenzin. I ran an entire police department, I'm sure I can handle four teenagers," Lin replied with casual confidence. Pema and Tenzin eyed each other awkwardly at this.

"Uh…sure. Thank you, Lin. And…good luck." After a few final goodbyes the Bison were coaxed into the air and they were gone. Korra watched them go until the last Bison disappeared into the clouds above and bit her lip. The temple wouldn't feel quite right until they were back. Lin turned to them all then and frowned, crossing her arms seriously.

"So, I expect all of you to fall in line," she said curtly. "I won't have you all running off playing the heroes while I'm in charge, understood?" She eyed them all furiously, her hip jutted out and legs spread in a stance that brooked no arguments. The teens all glanced at each other again and Mako gave a casual shrug of one shoulder, grinning lazily.

"Sure, no problem." Lin glared at them suspiciously and her frown deepened.

"I'll have my eyes on the lot of you," she hissed, using that old motion she had used on Korra the day they'd met. The memory made her grin and Korra was half-tempted to return the gesture as she had done that day.

"Don't worry, Lin. I give you my word, as the Avatar, that we won't get ourselves killed." She bowed to the older woman, partly to emphasize her point and partly to hide her smirk. Lin huffed.

"Aang said the same thing to Katara once when they were children. You better not follow his example young lady." She leaned in close when Korra straightened and pressed a finger to the Avatar's chest. "I do _not_ tolerate insubordination." When she turned on her heel and marched back into the temple, Korra chuckled and turned to her friends. First mistake when watching rebellious teenagers: never turn your back on them.

"Ok, let's go." They all nodded and Bolin pumped a fist into the air.

"Alright! Team Avatar is back in business!" He cried out enthusiastically. Mako made a grab for his younger brother and pulled him down into a headlock, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Would you keep it _down_. Or do you want Lin to put us all under house arrest?" Bolin wrestled his way out of Mako's arm and shuffled back, his hands pressed over his mouth.

"Sorry, that's my bad," he mumbled awkwardly. "I'll just stand over here…quietly." Korra chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Come on, we can't talk about this here. The White Lotus sentries are crawling all over the place." It was true. The sentries prowled the temple at all times. Ever since her capture they had become far more vigilant and it was rare not to see one or two moving along every walkway or patrolling the temple's perimeter. It reminded her strongly of her training compound in the South Pole. They had been everywhere. Always watching. It had felt like a prison of sorts and the island was starting to feel the same. She lead them all away from the courtyard and out onto the cliff sides overlooking Yue Bay and Aang's statue. The spot had quickly become her favourite on the island. A sanctuary away from all the people and guards and training. A place where she could feel the sea breeze, taste the salt on the air, hear the rush of the ocean as it beat against the cliffs far below. She felt at ease there, clear headed. She needed that now. They all did. When they cleared the thick brush and gathered on the grass just short of the cliff's edge Korra turned to her friends.

"Ok, you guys know why we're here. It's time we got serious. We need to take this war into our own hands and fight back." Bolin cleared his throat hesitantly.

"Isn't that what we've been doing? I mean we did the whole 'Team Avatar' thing when we were patrolling the streets didn't we?"

"Yeah," Asami agreed. "And it pretty much just got us all arrested." Korra shook her head at this.

"I'm not talking about driving around looking for trouble and listening to police scanners. I'm talking about getting organized. About _strategy_." Mako grinned at this. Play-making had always been his job. "I know I'm not exactly the think-ahead type," she continued. "But we've all seen what that's gotten us. Gotten _me_. We need a plan here and I think I have one."

"Does it involve looking for Equalist hideouts? Because I don't think I can deal with any more tunnels," Asami muttered, shuddering lightly at the thought. She'd dealt with enough of those to last her a lifetime.

"Hey, between me and Korra we could probably find a whole bunch of those secret lairs," Bolin said with a triumphant grin. "Lin has been teaching us to do that 'see with your feet' thing. We could just stomp around and find them all without going underground at all!" Mako sighed and shook his head.

"She's not talking about hunting down Equalists, Bo." Korra let out an impatient huff, hands planted firmly on her hips.

"If you guys would let me _explain_," she said, giving them all a look to shut them up.

"Sorry, sorry. Please continue," Bolin said, all overblown gallantry as he swept his arm out and bowed dramatically.

"Right," she said, grinning lightly at his antics. "This isn't about hunting down the Equalists. Not exactly. When I spoke to Aang," she paused here and gave Bolin another look when he opened his mouth, one finger raised in the air in question. The finger dropped and he zipped his lip with it. With a nod Korra continued. "When I spoke to Aang, he pretty much said that the real problem isn't just the Equalists. It's _every_one. Benders _and_ non-benders."

"What do you mean?" Asami asked. "Are we talking about civilians here?"

"Sort of," Korra replied. "See, the problem is that people don't understand what's going on. They're scared and confused. They have Amon and the Equalists telling them one thing and benders and the council telling them something else. People are flocking to Amon because they're afraid. Aang said we need to unite the people if we want to stop that masked freak show. At first, I thought he meant uniting the benders against the Equalists. But that's not right either. Even if we did defeat Amon with some big bending army, the non-benders would still hate us because we'd be doing exactly what the Equalists have been saying all this time."

"They'd see it as us oppressing them and Amon would win anyway," Mako agreed. He frowned and folded his arms pensively. Korra could practically hear the gears turning in his head, analytical as always.

"So how do we stop him? Tenzin is bringing an army of benders back here to kick Equalist butt. Shouldn't we have stopped him or something?" Bolin asked.

"No, we're gonna need the Order of the White Lotus. But we're also going to need to do more than just fight back. We need to unite the people," Korra said, slamming a fist into her palm. "Everyone." Asami nodded, a smile of understanding tugging at her lips.

"So you're saying we get benders and non-benders to work together against Amon. That way it won't be about benders oppressing non-benders," she said brightly. "It'll be about people fighting together for peace."

"Exactly," Korra said with a grin. She could feel the thrill of anticipation building up inside her like a roaring inferno. They were finally going to _do_ something again. The fact that Asami seemed to be on the road to forgiving her only fueled that flame.

"But _how_ are we gonna get the non-benders to listen to us?" Bolin asked. "I mean getting benders to rally against him will be easy enough, but Amon has pretty much made us out to be the enemy." Mako looked up then.

"We already have a non-bender against, Amon." He glanced towards Asami, who refused to meet his eye. "Asami can't be the only rational person in the city that sees Amon for what he is. Korra was right about people being scared. They're siding with the Equalists because they don't know what else to do. He's claiming to be on their side and with all the benders riled up the way they are, the non-benders probably feel threatened. You guys saw what happened when Tarrlok arrested all those people. He only made things worse."

"That's true," Asami agreed, if a little grudgingly. She was loathe to agree with Mako on anything right then. "It's not going to be easy to get them to listen, but if we can just talk to people and get them to understand…" Korra hesitated for a moment as she looked between her friends. They were all risking a lot. Risking their _lives_. Part of her wanted to tell them not to get involved. She wanted to ship them all off to some faraway place just like the airbenders. Because the three of them were her family now and she loved them all. But she knew better. They'd all been through too much together. Seen and done too much to back out now. And, despite her fear that they'd get hurt, she had never been more grateful to have them with her. Looking at them all, she wondered how she had ever managed without her friends before.

"Guys, things are about to get dangerous. I know this isn't exactly what Tenzin had in mind but we need to have each other's backs in this. We're gonna have to work as a team if we wanna get this done." She turned to Bolin. "Bo, I need you to hit the streets. Get as many people as you can find. Benders, non-benders, I don't care who they are, just get them to come." He gave her a stiff salute, his entire body snapping to attention.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" She grinned at him and then turned to Mako.

"Do you think you could get the pro-benders together?" She asked. "Even the ones who've had their bending taken away. Actually, _especially_ them." Mako cocked an eyebrow at this but nodded.

"I'll get Toza to spread the word. The guy is old and cranky but he knows pretty much everyone in the game." Korra smiled appreciatively and then, finally, turned to look at Asami. The older girl was watching her expectantly.

"Asami, you and I are gonna go to everyone else." She hesitated and glanced at Mako. "I know things are a little awkward right now but -" Asami cut her off with a casual wave of her hand.

"No, you're right. Non-benders will be more likely to listen to us if they see the Avatar is on their side too. We'll make it work." There was a determination in the older girl's eyes that gave Korra hope that things between them really were on the mend. After two weeks of silence and cool detachment Asami's almost friendly civility and willing co-operation was a huge step. She smiled happily and shifted to look at her three friends. They all looked ready.

"We can do this, I know it. If we can get everyone together we can take out Amon's biggest advantage." She frowned then and looked out over the city. "You guys know the city better than I do. We're gonna need a place to get everyone together."

"Oh, oh!" Bolin jumped up, waving an arm in the air. "What about the pro-bending arena? That's pretty big."

"It's a good thought, Bo, but Amon probably has that place crawling with Equalists by now," Mako said. "If we got a bunch of people together there he'd know. Actually, I think we're gonna run into the same problem pretty much anywhere we do this." Korra bit her lip in frustration.

"There has to be somewhere we can go. The city is _huge_; Amon can't keep track of everything that goes on all the time." Mako shrugged lightly in response.

"That's true but we have no idea where he _is_ looking and there's no way for us to find out. At least not without us doing something insanely reckless that'd completely ruin the entire operation." He was right, she knew, but that didn't take away the sting of having their entire plan ground to a halt because of a venue issue.

"What about my house?" They all turned to look at Asami and she smirked. "The estate is pretty big and no one is there right now. The police collapsed the tunnel leading to the underground workshop and the staff have all been dismissed so there's no trace of the Equalists left. And obviously my dad hasn't set foot in the place since…" She hesitated and frowned slightly. "Anyway, it'd be pretty easy to fit that many people there."

"I dunno," Mako said hesitantly. He hated to be the one to shoot everyone's ideas down but strategizing had always been his role in the team, even when it had been as the captain of the Fire Ferrets. "Gathering that many people at your estate out of the blue would look pretty suspicious."

"What if we threw a party?" Bolin piped up. "There's nothing suspicious about a party."

"A party?" Korra asked skeptically.

"Yeah!" Bolin replied, building up steam. "Think about it! We could do invitations and stuff so that only the people we talk to can get in, just like the Equalists did at that rally you guys saved me from! And even if the Equalists _do_ try to bust up the party, we'll have a ton of benders there to kick their butts."

"Actually…that's genius, Bolin," Asami said, her eyes wide. "It's a perfect cover. We wouldn't have to be covert about getting the people into the estate and if we work off a guest list based on the people we talk to, we could pretty much dictate who we let in."

"Not to mention we'd have an excuse to get out of the temple that night," Korra agreed enthusiastically. "We could get Lin and the White Lotus sentries to come too. That way they wouldn't try to stop us from going and we could get them involved once we get everyone together. They might even be able to help us convince everyone to work together. After all, the Order of the White Lotus isn't made up of just benders. There are non-benders too and they fight just as well as any bender I've ever seen." Mako was silent for a moment, running the idea through his head. Korra knew him well enough to know he was looking at the idea from every angle, weighing the pros and cons.

"It's risky but it's the best idea we've got," he said at last. "All we need is to find some reason for Asami to actually _want_ to throw a party at a time like this so the whole thing won't seem so random." Asami rolled her eyes at him and scoffed.

"I'm the only living heir to the Sato fortune, Mako. All I need to do is spread a rumour that I'm throwing a party to help rebuild the Sato name after my father pretty much ran it into the ground and no one will bat an eye. He used to throw frivolous parties with exclusive guest lists like that all the time. He called it 'networking'." Deciding to ignore the older girl's poorly hidden antagonism toward the firebender for now, Korra turned to Asami.

"How long would it take to get a party like that set up?" She asked, glancing guiltily at Mako's sour expression. Korra hadn't liked Asami's tone any more than he had but she needed to be the bridge-builder and try to stay neutral if they were ever going to work as a team.

"Well, without the Future Industries PR team and the estate's staff it'll be a little difficult. The ballroom isn't exactly small and we'd need to make the party pretty big if we want it to pass for a networking ball." She paused, trying to tally up everything they'd need but the list was far longer than she'd be able to think of on the spot. "Give me a week or two and I should be able to organize something passable. It won't be anything too fancy on such short notice but I'm guessing we want to do this as soon as possible, right?"

"Right," Mako agreed. "The sooner we get organized the better. Amon has a huge head start and there's no telling what he'll do next."

"So it's settled, party at Asami's house!" Bolin laughed, slugging his arm over the heiress and swinging a fist in the air. Korra chuckled and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"Don't get too excited, Bolin. We have a lot of work to do before then."

LoK_LoK_LoK

They'd slipped away from the island by splitting up and travelling in two directions. Bolin and Mako had taken Naga across the bay with the intent of separating once they reached the main land, each with his own task to complete. This had left Korra and Asami to travel underwater. They walked in silence, Asami holding up a lantern a few steps behind Korra, who bent the water around them in a large bubble. With an entire ocean of water around them it was quiet and pitch black despite the sun shining somewhere far above them. Asami's lantern only lit the confines of the bubble and a very small area around it, the rippling water casting ever-moving shadows across the two girls. The sight was a little unnerving. If Korra slipped up just a little they'd be buried under a ton of water, the pressure of which would probably crush them in seconds. Asami hadn't realized how deep Yue Bay really was until she'd been forced to walk along the bottom. She watched as Korra moved her arms about in graceful arcs, focusing entirely on her bending. The younger girl had removed her shoes in order to keep her bearings by following the distant vibrations of the city. It had seemed a little dangerous to be travelling blind on the bottom of the ocean but she'd explained to a worried Mako that, even though she wasn't practiced in the technique, it was hard to miss an entire city when you knew what to look for. It would take them longer to get to shore than the boys but Naga had made it clear that she could not carry them all. Besides, they were far less likely to be noticed in smaller groups.

They hadn't spoken since they'd ventured into the water and the silence had started to grate at Asami's nerves. There was tension in the air so thick she could practically taste it. But how did you start up a conversation with the girl who had stolen your boyfriend? She wanted to give Korra a chance. Wanted to try and be her friend again. It had been a shock to wake up one morning only a few days ago and realize that, at some point, she had forgiven Korra. She was still furious with Mako. Would still be furious with him for a long time. But she had come to realize that she didn't blame the younger girl for the break up. As much as she hated to admit it, Mako had been right. Despite her feelings, Korra had never purposefully tried to get in the way of her relationship with the idiotic firebender. It had taken almost two weeks of wrestling with herself but she had gotten over her misplaced bitterness toward the Avatar. She had already made amends with Bolin for being so hostile and distant and, true to form, the earthbender had forgiven her instantly, claiming she had nothing to be sorry for in the first place. Now it was time to do the same with Korra. But they had barely said two words to each other before that morning and now she wasn't sure what to say at all. So she walked and she watched Korra bend and she bit her tongue, trying hard to find the words she needed to breach the silence.

In the end, Korra broke first. She had never been the kind to hold back what she was thinking and Asami had been truly shocked that she had managed to hold her tongue for the past two weeks. The sound of her awkward throat clearing was sharp against the muffled silence of their bubble and Asami suddenly felt an anxious pit form in her stomach. She fought it back, reminding herself that the response was unnecessary when she had already forgiven the younger girl.

"So, um…" Korra hesitated and Asami could see her glance back at her, biting her lip. "I guess now is as good a time as any for us to talk, right?" That almost made Asami laugh. It was so typical Korra. Straight to the point.

"Yes," she agreed. "But you might not want to stop bending." She smirked and motioned up at the bubble that had shrunk a little when Korra had momentarily forgotten about it. With a visible flinch, she forced her arms outward in a sharp motion and the bubble expanded once more.

"Oops," she said with an easy grin, glad that at least the metaphorical ice had broken. There was a short pause before Korra glanced back at Asami again. "Asami, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am…." She paused again and Asami watched as she swallowed thickly, surprised at how sincere the younger girl really was. She could read the shame on her face as plainly as if it had been tattooed on her forehead. "I never meant to ruin things between you and Mako," she said when she found her voice again. "To be honest, I'd sort of resigned myself to you guys being a permanent thing. I never planned on him actually, you know, _liking_ me too." She tried to hide her grimace at the memory but Asami caught it before the younger girl could look away. "I just…Mako and I…." She grit her teeth and shook her head quickly. "I really _am_ sorry that I hurt you. I never wanted to, especially after everything that's happened." Asami glanced away then and sighed. Korra really did love Mako. She wasn't blind. It was clear in the hesitance in her words. In the way she looked at him, her expression longing but resigned. And Mako had already confessed that he loved Korra too. Maybe not to Korra but it had been said and there was no taking that back.

"You didn't hurt me, Korra," she said at last. "_Mako_ did. I was angry at you for a while but, I guess I got over that. I know it wasn't your fault. Not really. I may not be ready to forgive him but I don't want to fight you over this anymore either. I want us to still be friends." She smiled lightly at her and Korra grinned in return.

"That means a lot, Asami," she said genuinely. They were quiet for a moment, both happy to have gotten past at least the start of really mending things between them. But there was still one thing that had been bothering Asami since the whole mess had started. She frowned then and looked back at the younger girl. Korra was looking straight ahead, careful not to lose focus on her bending again while they spoke.

"I'd like to know why you guys haven't actually…started dating." She grimaced, in much the same was Korra had and swallowed the sudden bout of jealousy that rose up her throat. She could see Korra's shoulders tense up and the movement of her arms suddenly seemed more rigid. "It wasn't out of some twisted need to make me feel better was it?" She wasn't really sure why the idea bothered her so much. If anything Asami figured it should make her feel a little better that Korra would want to respect her feelings like that. But at the same time it seemed almost a little insulting. Patronizing even. They had already hurt her, what difference would it make if they waited a month or a minute? The damage had been done after all.

"That was part of it," Korra admitted awkwardly. "I didn't want to make things harder than they already were." She glanced back at Asami for a second and the shame was obvious in her eyes again. It made Asami feel a little guilty for snapping at her. "But, it was also because I have duties I can't ignore right now. The war is more important than my selfish personal needs. Republic City needs me to be focused and balanced. I can't let myself get…" she paused and Asami could see her tossing around for the right word. "_Distracted_." She nodded, as if satisfied with that and it made Asami frown. It made very little sense to the older girl. If the situations had been reversed she doubted very much that she would put off being with the person she loved. She watched Korra for a long while as they walked in silence mulling over what she'd said. They had only been walking for about two or three hours but she could already feel the wet sandy ground start to angle upwards slightly. It was still a long way to the surface, deep as the bay was, but they were close to the other side now and, if Korra had calculated it right, they would emerge on a quiet beach somewhere to the north east of the island. They had decided to surface further inland than the bending dome, where the boys were headed, to avoid attracting attention. From there they would make their way into the city proper to start appealing to the people. When Asami focused on Korra again she could see a faint sheen of sweat coating her copper skin and her breathing sounded a little laboured. The effort of bending water under such heavy pressure for so long was starting to take its toll on the young Avatar. She held the lantern up a little higher and jogged a few steps to catch up with Korra so that they were walking side by side.

"Are you ok?" She asked hesitantly, noting the strained set of her features. Korra nodded tersely, not daring to look away from the water and break her shaky concentration. Asami imaged it must have weighed a ton at this depth. They fell quiet again, the slope of the sand becoming steeper and Korra's breathing a little heavier with each step. With any luck they would reach the surface soon. Asami bit her lip as they walked and glanced at Korra again. Her comment about duties and distractions was still playing in Asami's mind and she felt the sudden need to voice her opinion, despite how she felt personally on the matter.

"You know," she started slowly, eyeing the tired younger girl wearily. If Korra's arms gave out they would both be dead. "What you said earlier, about why you're waiting, I think you're being stupid." Korra's eyes widened at this and darted to Asami for a second before focusing on the water once more.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice heavy with confusion and strain.

"Well, if it were _me_," Asami paused and cleared her throat. Saying this felt like rubbing sandpaper on an open wound but Korra deserved it. She'd sacrificed enough. "If it were me, I wouldn't wait. If I had the chance to finally be with someone I loved, I wouldn't let anything stop me." Korra's breath hitched a little and Asami wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion or shock. Probably a little of both.

"But…Aang said I need to find balance in myself before I can fix the city. I need to think about my responsibility to the people. And you…." She sounded like the idea hurt more than she wanted to let on and Asami shook her head.

"Think about it, Korra. I'm not exactly what's important here. We've already established I'm not mad at you anymore. But if you're always thinking about wanting to be with Mako and forcing yourself to focus on your duties, you're pretty much always going to be torn, right? It makes sense that if you can balance _your_ needs with the needs of the people, you're more likely to find balance in yourself." It had gotten much lighter and Asami knew they were almost at the surface. "Just think about it, ok? Don't worry about me. For once, be just a little bit selfish and let yourself have something. Because none of us know how this war is going to end. Maybe you should take into account that there may not _be_ a 'later' to work things out." They were quiet then. There was really nothing more that needed to be said. When they could finally see the surface looming only a few feet above them, Korra stopped and stomped one foot hard into the ground, her eyes shut tight in concentration. When she nodded and started to move again Asami knew that the beach was clear. At this close range, even with her minimal skills in the technique, Korra could at least tell that much from the muffled vibrations of the sand.

It was a huge relief when they finally broke through the water into the open air. They took the last few steps out of the water at a stumbling run and, when they were completely clear of the waves lapping at the shore, Korra dropped like a stone, falling heavily to her hands and knees, arms shaking. Asami gave her space, knowing she just needed a moment to rest and catch her breath. She had kept them dry right up to the last second and for a moment Asami was confused. They had both donned dull, modest clothing that wouldn't look out of place in the urban parts of the city. It had been a precaution Mako had suggested they all take to avoid being spotted in the crowds. Nothing any of them had worn was really worth worrying about getting a little wet or dirty. But then Korra sat back on her heels, brushed her shaking hands off on her brown coat and reached carefully into a deep pocket. When she pulled her hand out again Asami felt her breath catch in her throat. She watched as Korra delicately wrapped Mako's red scarf around her neck, pulling the material up around her face before slipping a simple woolen cap over her head. He had given her his scarf. The one thing he treasured above anything. The one thing he had said made him feel safe. And he had given it to Korra to keep _her_ safe. The implication was as blindingly obvious as it got and in that moment it was clear. There on the abandoned beach, with Korra exhausted and shivering in the sand, clutching Mako's scarf to her chin, Asami knew. There had never really been any hope for her and Mako. He had always been Korra's. And somehow, suddenly, it didn't seem as utterly devastating as it had before.

LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK_LoK

(Ok, so the stage has been set and things are finally in motion now. This chapter was sort of a filler but it was necessary. We've gotten a look at what they're planning now and, of course, Korra and Asami needed to talk. I know it may seem like Asami was too quick in forgiving Korra but I tried putting myself in her shoes and it made more sense for her to want to push past the issue, at least with Korra, rather than isolate herself entirely. Especially considering the danger factor. Also, to clarify Korra's exhaustion in the end there: The maps I've seen of Yue Bay have the water looking pretty dark, which implies its deep as crap. And the deeper you go, the more pressure the water exerts. So if they were walking along the bottom of the bay to avoid detection, I imagine the water would be pretty resistant to bending with all that pressure. As a reference, the beach I'm referring to is an imaginary one that I figure must exist in some way very near the bridge to the north of Air Temple Island (in relation to true north according to the maps of the Avatar world).

But yeah, things are gonna get more actiony from the next chapter, which I promise will be longer and updated faster than this one was. I've been monstrously sick for the past week. My one-year-old niece gave me her flu and eye infection all at once and I, being the stubborn idiot that I am, decided I didn't need to see a doctor because I very rarely get sick. That'll teach me. This past weekend was the first time I felt healthy enough to actually look at my laptop and I worked hard to get this chapter out as fast as possible because I love you guys!)


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